Serpens Venenum
by R.G. Waffles
Summary: Orochimaru likes playing games . . . cruel and unusual games. And Sasuke is his next pawn. [You have 743 hours, 59 minutes, and 58 seconds left to live.]
1. Prologue

**Xiao Lu: **'Loha! I'm back with my second Naruto story! This took me a while to complete . . . I have everything already written down, so sorry that I can't take any of your suggestions. I might still be able to . . . anyway, it took me six months to complete and I'm rather proud of it. Reviews or not, this is one of my best! This is only the prologue, so I PROMISE that it's going to get better! Prologues are always on the edge of the fence.  
**So** anyway, I'd really appreciate your feedback on this. I know this is going to fall on empty minds because pretty much none of you read the author's notes. If you do, I want to tell you something in the author's note at the bottom.  
**Please Read and Review! I don't own Naruto (who will make an appearance later), or anyone else! Go Sasuke! BLOOPERS!!!**

…**::: Prologue: Déjà Vu:::…**

Gasp.

Obsidian marbles opened wide.

Pain. Searing pain.

That's all the porcelain figure felt. The moon, illuminating the darkened room in the household, was full and high in the sky. It shone through the window and onto the bed where a young teenager gripped the sheets in pain. Where was the pain coming from?

He closed his charcoal eyes tight in an attempt to block out the pain from his head, but the aching kept coming, flaring up from the lower part of his chest. Cold sweat covered his weary body and he decided he could take it no longer. He sat up and pulled back his shirt. His eyes grew wide at the sight.

Three black snakes intertwined with each other, no bigger that his thumb, were slowly weaving a path up his chest. They faintly glowed silver as they slithered on his skin, burning him. Fortunately, they stopped exactly a centimeter from where they had originally been placed, allowing the head of the middle snake to border on the edge of his navel.

It was this mark that had stained him for life. This mark that he had only obtained yesterday was already poisoning his life at everyday at midnight. Was it going to go on like this forever?

"I'll kill you . . ." the boy said silently to the window. He was talking about the person that had given him the mark. And it was only yesterday:

* * *

_"You are weak."_

Sasuke's astonished eyes widened in the darkness of the night.

_"Why are you weak?"_

The moon's light filtered through the hospital window, creating shadows that snaked along the wall.

_"Because you lack . . ."_

"Hatred," Sasuke finished in a whisper. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist at the memory. The memory that was his reason for being in the hospital.

_"You are not even worth killing."_

Was that the reason Itachi hadn't killed him that day? Was that the only reason that Itachi had kept him alive all of these years? Because he was worthless?

Sasuke clenched the white sheets of the bed and pulled them over, rolling onto his side painfully. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't get Itachi's words out of his mind.

_"Foolish little brother . . . If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me . . . and survive in an unsightly way . . ."_

"But I already do hate you," Sasuke spoke to himself. He eyed the moon absentmindedly. "I hate you with my life. I don't think I've ever hated something in such a way."

His eyes trailed to the bedside table where a single flower in a glass vase was situated. Sakura had sent it to him. She'd renew it every day with the same unique white flower.

"But why am I still so weak?"

_"Run and cling to life."_

Sasuke grasped the sheets tighter and sat up, banging his back against the backboard of the bed angrily.

"What have I been doing?!" he demanded. A shadow flickered across his window for an instant. "What have I been training for?! What have I been _living_ for?!"

In a burst of fury, his arm swept the vase off of the table and it went crashing to the floor. He sat there, panting and breathing heavily in fury as he listened to the running footsteps heading his way.

The door opened swiftly and a nurse came running in, a clipboard in one hand and the other on the doorknob.

"What's going on in here, Sasuke-san?" she said, seeing the boy leaning forward with his hand outstretched over the table.

"Nothing," Sasuke gritted out, regaining his composure.

The nurse noticed the broken vase on the floor and put the clues together.

"Honestly, Sasuke-san, you need to learn to control your anger. This pretty flower has gone to waste."

_'I don't care,'_ Sasuke thought as he watched the nurse bend down and pick up the broken pieces. She put the flower back on the table and patted it.

"Hopefully Sakura-san will come in tomorrow with a new one. You're being released tomorrow, did you know that?"

Sasuke stayed silent. He eyed the moon once more. The glow from it mesmerized him, but it soon turned into Itachi's face. In shock, Sasuke put one arm in front his face defensively and took a sharp intake of breath.

"You need rest, Sasuke-san. Go to sleep. And try not to let your hate consume you."

Sasuke's eyes widened as the nurse left. He remembered words similar to what she had said.

_"If you let the hate consume you, and depend on the cursed seal's powers . . . you will cease developing and growing. If that happens, you can't defeat Itachi."_

Kakashi had said that to him the day he was training his Chidori.

Sasuke grew even more bewildered as he sat back with his hands behind his head and his teeth gritted. Kakashi said that too much hate would make him weaker and unable to defeat Itachi. But Itachi had said that Sasuke was weak because he didn't have enough hate. Who was right?

After finally closing his eyes, he opened them again at a swishing sound. Sitting upright, he realized two figures had made their way into his hospital room.

"What are you doing here?" asked Sasuke harshly.

The figures stepped out of the shadows. One revealed his sallow skin and long, dark hair. He grinned, showing canine teeth longer and larger than natural size. The other's glasses and Sound forehead protector glinted with the moon's glow.

"What are you doing here?!" Sasuke repeated with more force.

"Am I not allowed to visit a person I adore in the hospital?" Orochimaru said smoothly, walking closer. Kabuto followed him, grinning at his master's 'joke'.

"Don't get any closer!" said Sasuke. "What do you want?"

"We want to play a game with you, Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke swiftly took the sheets off of him and got off of the bed. He turned and faced Orochimaru and Kabuto in a fighting stance.

"What if I refuse?" he said coldly.

"Oh, I think you'll like this game."

Before Sasuke had the time to even blink, Kabuto was in front of him and holding his neck with one hand. Sasuke's fingers clawed at them, but they wouldn't let go. Kabuto pinned him to the wall.

With wide-eyed realization, Sasuke noticed that this was the same position Itachi had him in. His right hand snuck to his pouch, but Kabuto was swifter and pinned Sasuke's hand with his own.

"There's no need for that," said Orochimaru, watching from Kabuto's side. Kabuto gripped Sasuke's neck tighter, making Sasuke gasp and try to kick him, which did no damage whatsoever.

"What . . . do you want?" Sasuke repeated from his chokehold, his question directed to Orochimaru.

"Like I said, we want to play a game with you."

"You already have," replied Sasuke, moving his eyes as far as he could to the left so he could examine something on his shoulder. "With that seal of yours, I'm in the worst game you could possibly give."

Kabuto examined the markings on his shoulder as well and smirked. "Oh, but this game is much more entertaining."

He took the hand he was holding and flicked it back swiftly. There was an audible crack, followed by Sasuke's strained screams. He screamed as loudly as he could, and even tried to punch Kabuto with his other hand. Kabuto had broken his left hand.

Using the newly freed hand, Kabuto covered Sasuke's mouth with his eyes wide. "There's no need to bring the nurses in here."

Sasuke's eyes opened wider than before. It was déjà vu all over again. Itachi had done the exact same thing. How could this be happening again?

"We need to go to a more appropriate place so I can explain the rules to you more clearly. Kabuto."

Kabuto smirked once more before hitting Sasuke directly on the head on a vital point with extreme force. The world turned black for Sasuke before he was even let go.

When Sasuke came to, he realized he wasn't in the hospital. He was in a simple room. Looking around painfully, he realized he was on the cold floor of an empty room. It was tinged gray and had neither windows nor doors, which made Sasuke wonder how he and the other two occupants had gotten in.

"Now that you're awake," said Orochimaru, "we can explain the rules to this game of ours."

Sasuke, on his stomach, put his arms in front of him to support him as he tried to stand up. The excruciating pain in his left hand brought him back to the fact that Kabuto had broken it, which ended with him on the floor and grasping his hand.

Kabuto smirked and stepped forward. Sasuke could tell he was about to do something to him, but Orochimaru held him back.

"I don't think he will be standing up for a while," said Orochimaru slyly.

"You're wrong," said Sasuke. He was determined to stand up. But realization dawned onto him. He couldn't move his legs!

"What have you done?!" Sasuke demanded, trying to move his legs, but failing.

"You aren't the one to sit around and listen to an explanation," said Kabuto.

"I'll kill you!" said Sasuke. "I'll kill you both!"

Orochimaru sighed with a grin and said, "As I was saying, I want to explain the rules of this entertaining game."

"I don't want to play your damn game!" shouted Sasuke.

"Oh, but you're the main piece. Kabuto, if you please."

Kabuto took something from his pouch. The light from the single torch hanging on the wall glinted off of the long, thin object in his hand. He approached Sasuke slowly.

"What is that?" demanded Sasuke, staring at the object.

"This is the beginning of the game."

Kabuto took advantage of Sasuke's position and sat on the boy's back. Sasuke, only able to move his hands, tried to reach him, but only failed.

"What are you doing?! Stop! _Stop!_"

Kabuto took the needle in his hand and inserted it into Sasuke's neck. Sasuke stopped flailing to feel the thin needle insert liquid into his body. Kabuto released it from his neck and put it back into his pouch, getting up.

"What was that?! Tell me!"

"You're never patient, are you? I told you I would explain."

Sasuke didn't think it was a sedative since he wasn't feeling any dizziness or something of the sort. It had to be something else.

"You have 743 hours, 59 minutes, and 58 seconds left to live."

Sasuke's eyes widened. Could it be possible?

"What have you done?!" he demanded, lying flat on the floor.

"Oh, this is the fun of the game. I've injected a slow spreading poison into your body, which will take full effect of killing you in exactly one month. Today is March 1st, so April 1st is your perish date."

"Is that all? You're just going to watch me die?!"

"No, no, that would be too tedious. The fun is watching you search for the antidote. If you look on your chest, you should find a mark. Using only this mark, you have to decipher not only what poison I have injected, but what antidote ingredients are needed. Of course, then there's the task of finding the ingredients, and brewing them, so I will never get weary of watching you."

"There must be a catch," said Sasuke. "It's too easy."

Orochimaru laughed evilly. "But of course," he said in a drawling voice. "You are allowed no help. No one is allowed to know you are poisoned, or help you obtain any ingredients. You may ask them for locations, or for information, but they mustn't know you possess the poison. If they do . . . they will perish with you!"

Sasuke took a sharp intake of breath and clenched his teeth. This couldn't be happening.

"And what if they find out by themselves that I'm poisoned?" he asked.

"I'll personally handle it." Orochimaru was going to turn to Kabuto, but he turned back to Sasuke to add, "Oh yes, and then there's the fact that the antidote will only have an effect on you starting one day before you die, so even if you were to make it at this second, it would be useless."

"What kind of sick and twisted game is this?!" he screamed at Orochimaru.

"I'm a sick and twisted person. It will be entertaining to watch you. Good luck."

Kabuto kicked Sasuke in the gut – hard – and Sasuke let out a yell of agony. Kabuto kicked him in the head this time, and Sasuke saw darkness once more.

And that wasn't the end of things either. Soon after that, he had woken up to the pain of the seal. It burned brightly, embedded into his skin, and he gave an outcry because of it. Tsunade had heard him and he was confronted, also wondering about his absence.

_"Where did you go last night?"_ she had asked. He had replied with a simple lie, telling her that he couldn't sleep and could find nothing better to do than to take a walk. And when she'd asked how he'd broken his hand, he had told her a story of how he had encountered an enemy ninja who had placed him under her illusionary technique. He had to break his hand so that the pain would bring him back to reality. Of course, Tsunade hadn't believed him, but she had said that if something was so important to Sasuke that he would have to lie to her, then she would trust him. And after that, he was released.

Now he was here, in his bed, with a thin layer of sweat coating his body. He had discarded his damp shirt when it became too hot for comfort and so it was visible that his chest was rising and sinking heavily. The pain had been the same as if someone had pushed him across a cliff of scorching hot coals, only to land at the bottom of the cliff where rugged rocks pierced his flesh. If not, it was harsher.

* * *

**Xiao Lu**: So what do you think? I'm going to be brutal with the tortures that Sasuke's going to endure sigh It's 12 midnight here and I have school tomorrow, so . . . yeah. I gotta go to sleep. OH! Yea, if you're reading this, I want to test you. I do this ALL the time. If you _actually_ read the author's notes, place the letters "IR" in your review (please, please, please submit one for feedback). IR, by the way, means "I Read". I just want to know how many people get information. I'm not here to warm the keys, you know. Anyway, I'll leave you with the bloopers. Forgive my lack of funny - I thought them up during an Algebra test I had. **Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!**

**Chapter 1**

_He took the hand he was holding and flicked it back swiftly. There was an audible crack, followed by Sasuke's strained screams. He screamed as loudly as he could, and even tried to punch Kabuto with his other hand. Kabuto had broken his left hand. _

"You idiot!" – Sasuke.

"What did I do?" – Kabuto.

"Cut!" – Me.

The stage crew turns off the lights. Sakura comes running up to Sasuke. She takes one look at Sasuke's hand and whacks Kabuto in the head.

"You weren't supposed to break his hand! You were supposed to use the soda can for sound effects!" – Sakura.

"So that wasn't a drink Naruto carelessly discarded?" – Kabuto.

Doctors drag Sasuke away on a stretcher.

"Bring in the stunt double!" – Me.

An extremely ugly guy comes in.

"Hi, I'm Sasuke and I like to have sex with everything that walks." – Guy.

* * *

_Kabuto took the needle in his hand and inserted it into Sasuke's neck. Sasuke stopped flailing to feel the thin needle insert liquid into his body. Kabuto released it from his neck and put it back into his pouch, getting up. _

"What . . . what was that?" – Sasuke.

He gets up from the stage and stumbles over to the Girl's Mirror. He takes Sakura's makeup and starts applying it.

"No really, what was that?" – Me.

"Hey Naruto, did anyone ever tell you that you look pretty in red? Here . . . try some of this delicious lipstick." – Sasuke.

Naruto slowly backs away from Sasuke.

"I think someone replaced the empty needle with drugs." – Kabuto.

Sasuke is swaying in front of the mirror as he applies on mascara.

"Does this break easily?" – Sasuke.

He punches the mirror and falls unconscious.

"Bring in the stunt double!" – Me.

"Hi, I'm Sasuke and I like to have sex with everything that walks." – Guy.


	2. Weary Wobbles

**Xiao Lu:** Hey guys! I wasn't too happy about the number of reviews last time, but that's not going to bring me down. However, thanks to the people that DID review! I love you guys! Here's the second chapter. Hopefully, you guys will judge this story by _this_ chapter and not by the prologue. It _was_ a prologue, after all! So anyway, I've gotta make this quick 'cause I've got soccer to get to. Can we try the IR thing again? I thought it was funny to see that. I'll put in some lottery numbers and we'll see who wins! laughs evilly. Please review!

…**:::Weary Wobbles:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Sasuke woke up due to the pain from the mark received by Orochimaru and reminisced about the day he got poisoned. He was ambushed in the hospital and forced to the ground by Kabuto, who then inserted the poison in with a needle. After being told what would happen, he was sent back, only to lie to Tsunade about where he had gone._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The pain that came to Sasuke was so intense that he had to lie back down on his bed after sitting upright. It wasn't as strong as the pain he'd experienced last night, but it was still heavy. His head throbbed and his mind pulsed in his skull. His shoulder ached from recent pulsing. Trying to breathe, he found that he couldn't from his nostrils. His nose was clogged up! And if that didn't make matters worse, when he opened his eyes, the world was a giant blur.

With pained realization, he figured out that he had gained some sort of sickness.

"No . . ." he said aloud in a nasally voice. "I've got to go to training today . . . we have a mission . . ."

Slowly, he extracted himself from his bed. At first his legs wobbled and he had to grab onto the side of his bed to right himself, but then he pushed on further to the bathroom. The second he stepped inside, he opened the toilet lid and . . . he vomited.

It went on like that for the whole morning in his empty house. He would wobble over to complete something, like to get dressed, and then he'd actually _complete_ it, but then he'd hobble back to the bathroom and vomit. He didn't even bother eating breakfast.

The sun was hot on his neck and didn't make the matters any better. He slowly drifted to the bridge where he would meet Sakura and Naruto.

_"Naruto . . ."_ he thought with contempt. _"Loud, hyperactive Naruto."_

He swayed slightly at one point before continuing on his journey. He felt horrible.

"Sasuke-kun!" he heard Sakura's overactive voice scream to him. He closed his eyes in pain. Loud noises were not on his favorites list at the moment. They weren't on his favorites list _ever._

Sasuke dragged himself to the bridge where Naruto was mumbling to himself about their sensei's tardiness. He took one look at Sasuke and said, "You're unusually late, Sasuke-teme."

Sasuke didn't even bother to reply to him with his usual insult. Instead, he leaned over the bridge, feeling the need to vomit. Sakura watched him curiously.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" she said innocently.

Sasuke ignored her too.

"Ne, Ne 1!" said Naruto. He hopped off of the railing and faced Sasuke, who had his back turned on him. "Don't ignore Sakura-chan when she's talking to you, teme!"

"_Damare_ 2!" Sasuke snarled at him without turning around. He wasn't in the mood for Naruto's ruckus.

"Damare my ass!" Naruto screamed even louder that before. "Turn around and talk to me like a real man so I can insult you some more!"

Sasuke buried his head in his arms. His head was throbbing even harder than the morning. He was sure now that it was some sort of side effect from that poison Orochimaru had injected into him. He hoped it would go away soon; he wanted to begin his investigation for the antidote.

Naruto whacked Sasuke across the head in order to get the Uchiha's attention. Bad move. Sasuke turned around, his eyes raging, and punched Naruto so hard that he flew over the opposite bridge railing and into the water. Sakura stood with her eyes wide as she watched Naruto fall beneath the surface.

Kakashi took that time to appear on the railing Naruto had just flown over. As if right on cue, Naruto emerged from the water and pointed an accusatory finger at his sensei.

"You're late!" he barked.

"Well my breakfast got burned this morning and so I took the time to go to a nice breakfast area I know. They make the best _tamago kake gohan _3in the area!" came the reply. Sakura pouted. She thought he was going to say that he helped a duckling cross the river to its parents. It was always fun to predict what her sensei would come up with as an excuse.

"Now, about the mission," said Kakashi. He watched Naruto emerge from the river and stand next to Sakura. Sasuke, however, had reverted to his position at the railing with his head in his arms. It didn't seem like he was listening at all.

"Sasuke?" asked Kakashi, staring at the Uchiha. "Sasuke?" he said louder when he got no reply.

"Ne!" Naruto shouted. "Teme!"

That got Sasuke's attention. He turned around slowly, using the railing for support. His half-opened eyes were visibly bloodshot and his nose had turned a light shade of pink, which was clearly noticeable on his ashen face.

"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura, going over to him. Sasuke nodded his head, worried that if he said anything in his nasally voice someone would notice he was sick.

Too late. Kakashi swiftly walked over to Sasuke and placed his gloved hand on the boy's forehead before he had the chance to turn away. Even through the glove, Kakashi could feel the heat radiating.

"You've got a fever," he said simply.

Naruto laughed. "The great Uchiha Sasuke with a fever?!" he cackled merrily. Sakura hit him over the head.

"Don't insult him like that!"

"Sakura-chan!"

That started the loud bickering between the two. Kakashi, however, ignored them. "Are you going to be able to take part in this mission today? It's not important – it's a simple D-Rank mission where we have to go farming for the elderly. I'll understand if you –"

"No," Sasuke interrupted. "I can go."

He tried to walk forward, out of his sensei's sight, but stumbled and was about to fall forward. Fortunately, Kakashi caught him with strong arms before he could hit the floor.

"You appear to be in prime condition for a mission today," he said in his calm yet cheerful voice. "But unfortunately, this mission doesn't need you."

"I can do it. I just tripped over a splinter here and – gah!"

The pulsing came back one hundred times harder than before. Sasuke held his head in his hands. By this time, Naruto and Sakura had stopped their bickering to watch. Sasuke fell to his knees, the pain too powerful to take in.

"I think I have a new mission," said Kakashi. He watched Sasuke go limp and fall to the floor.

"Sasuke-kun!" screamed Sakura, immediately at his aid. She lifted his head up, but pulled back one hand as if she had been scorched. "He's burning!"

"Hai, he has quite an unusual fever. I'm going to bring him home and then meet up with you here. I'm sure you can wait a few more minutes."

"Kaka-sensei, he can move on his own!" said Naruto stubbornly. "Ne! Sasuke-teme! Wake up!"

"Naruto! Be quiet!" said Sakura harshly. "Can't you see he's ill?"

Kakashi sighed. He picked up Sasuke wedding-style. "Ja ne," he said before spring boarding off of the ground and onto the nearest rooftop. As he made his journey to the Uchiha Manor, he looked closer at the boy. His pale face had gotten to an unhealthy tinge of yellow, with his nose pinker than it had been in the morning. A simple virus couldn't have made a fever this high. Or maybe Sasuke just had a poor immune system.

Whatever the case, Kakashi forgot about it as he searched around in the boy's pocket for a key to the door. After entering into the familiar house where he had once been invited for dinner during the Christmas holidays (more like _he_ had invited _himself_ in with Naruto and Sakura) and taking off both of their shoes, he made a beeline for Sasuke's bedroom.

Despite the conditions he was living under, the room was neat and organized. There wasn't a single thing out of order. As a matter-of-fact, it was a simple room. There was only a closet, a bed, a dresser, a television, and a desk with a chair. The midnight-blue bed wasn't made, the closet was large, the desk had thousands of papers and books stacked on top of it, but what caught Kakashi's eye (besides the excellent view from the large balcony) was the dresser.

In front of the mirror where a few brushes and deodorant cans were scattered, there were three picture frames. One was the one the entire team had gotten. Sasuke and Naruto were giving each other dirty looks while Kakashi and Sakura both had smiles. Then there was another one, of Sasuke's entire family. Sasuke was giving a sour look because Itachi was ruffling his hair. What surprised Kakashi was that Itachi was smiling a sincere smile, not the infamous Uchiha smirk. Fugaku and Mikoto had their arms wrapped around each other. No wonder Sasuke kept the picture.

However, when Kakashi's eye trailed over to the last picture frame, a sad smile formed on his lips. This frame contained only Itachi and Sasuke. Sasuke was happily embracing his brother with one hand, smiling and giving a peace sign to whoever was taking the picture. Itachi was kneeled at his height and was grasping Sasuke's shoulder with one hand, while the other hand sneakily went to the back of Sasuke's head to give him a pair of "Bunny ears". The frame was embroidered with a pattern of hearts and stars. No doubt an academy project 4.

Kakashi wondered why Sasuke would keep such a picture if he was bent on killing his brother. But he had to push the thought out as he placed the unconscious Uchiha on the unmade bed. He had started shivering when they were jumping atop the roofs. Kakashi placed the midnight sheets over his shivering body and disappeared from the room for a while to venture into the kitchen. There, he grabbed a kitchen towel and wet it with hot water. He didn't even bother wringing it out as he carried it back to place on Sasuke's boiling head.

_"That should do for now,"_ Kakashi thought. Before leaving the room, however, he pulled down Sasuke's collar slightly to finger the seal. _'I wonder if that's what gave him the fever.'

* * *

_

Sasuke awoke sometime later, still slightly dizzy. The throbbing in his head had receded slightly. He felt something heavy on his forehead and moved a weary hand to investigate. It turned out to be a sand-dry cloth.

"What the heck am I doing with a cloth on my head?" he thought aloud. He was alarmed to find that he was in his room. And then he remembered. "The poison!"

Throwing his covers over him, he ran out of his room and to the door. His keys were placed on the hook where they were supposed to be, and his shinobi sandals were placed in front of the door.

Emerging from his house, he only had one destination on his mind: the bookstore. Unfortunately for him, as he made his way through the town (occasionally stumbling when the throbbing had intensified), he was caught. Second before reaching for the knob of the store's door, he heard someone.

"Yo."

That calm voice. That cheerfulness. Kakashi.

Sasuke turned around to find his sensei walking up to him. "Ohayo 5, Kakashi," he said tonelessly.

"I don't think it's the morning anymore," replied Kakashi. "I went looking for you at your house. Why aren't you in bed?"

"I feel better now. And I have an errand to run."

"Is that so? So the fever receded?"

"Hai. Did you bring me home?"

Kakashi nodded his head, opening the door for the both of them before stepping inside. There were a few other occupants in there besides the storeowner.

"I'm lucky that I decided to pick up another copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ today. My last one was shredded to bits by an enemy's katana."

"How did the mission go?" Sasuke asked absentmindedly. He searched the store for a book about poisons.

"Naruto fooled around and we had to spend most of our time chasing after him. He had an entire bee hive wanting to kill him. Other than that, it went normally." Kakashi glanced at the Uchiha as Sasuke cursed under his breath. "Is something wrong?"

"The book I wanted isn't here," Sasuke answered swiftly. He watched Kakashi pick up a copy of his precious paradise and walk up to the store owner.

"And what book would that be?" asked Kakashi as he handed the money to the storeowner. "Arigato 6."

"A book about poisons," Sasuke said. He didn't think it was necessary to lie. "The Fifth sent a mission to us a few days earlier and said that antidotes for poisons would be necessary." Although he did think it was necessary to lie about _that._

"I see," said Kakashi. "Well I wouldn't want to keep you. Be careful about that cold of yours, Sasuke. Ja ne!" With a cheery wave, Kakashi disappeared.

_'Why is everyone trying to meddle in with my life?!'_ thought Sasuke as he began to walk to the only other person he could count on to have a book. Unfortunately, his journey was stopped short when he heard a high-pitched squeal.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Someone had grabbed him around the waist and the two went flying to hit the gravel on the floor. Sasuke groaned in pain when he a rock jabbed itself into his chest. "You're out of the hospital!" the person squealed.

"Get off of me, Ino!" snarled Sasuke angrily. He didn't have time for her.

Ino didn't move, however. She continued her embrace around Sasuke in her vice grip. But Sasuke had enough of her – he stood up forcefully and she went flying backwards to land in the dirt.

Ino must have had her heart set strongly on him because she brushed the dirt off of herself before hugging Sasuke again.

"Did those nurses try anything on you?" she said affectionately.

"Ino-pig!"

Sasuke turned around, bringing Ino with him, and the two faced Sakura and Naruto. Sakura was brandishing her fists with a menacing look on her face.

Sasuke looked up into the cloudless sky. The sun was nowhere near his line of vision. "Why do you do this to me?" he said with mock hurt. As if someone had answered him, Ino let go and walked up to Sakura to begin their usual bickering. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the cold stone wall.

Naruto came and stood beside him, a pout on his face. "Don't you hate it when this happens?" he said.

"Like you would know."

"Of course I'd know, teme!"

"Dobe."

"Silent freak!"

"Usuratonkachi."

". . . Loser!"

That's the way it went on for the rest of the hour. Even when Sasuke tried leaving the area, Naruto would stand in front of him and would babble about how Sasuke was his rival and rivals should never walk away from each other in a duel.

**XxXxXxX**

"Yo, Tsunade," said Kakashi after getting his access granted to enter. He closed the door to the Hokage's office behind him.

"This had better be quick," said Tsunade swiftly. "I've got a lot of work left to do." She looked at the three stacks of papers on her desk and sighed. "Then again, I've got all the time in the world."

"This will only take a second. Did you give any missions to the Rookies?"

Tsunade paused for a second, thinking, and then said, "Not yet, no, but I have them down for any mission that pops up the next two weeks. Did you have something in mind?"

Kakashi thought for a second. _'Why would Sasuke lie to me?'_

"Sasuke told me that you had a personal mission for him that involved poisons, so he was walking into a book shop for a book of poisons. You didn't do that, did you?"

"No, but why would he lie to you?"

"My thoughts exactly . . ."

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 Hey

2 Shut up

3 It's the basic Japanese breakfast where eggs are mixed into sticky rice and soy sauce is added

4 I'm just guessing that they made art projects when they started their first years in the academy. This is the art project that I'd expect young Sasuke to make! I wanted to show that even though Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi, part of him still cared. Just a _little_ part, though!

5 Good morning

6 Thank You


	3. Side Effects

**Xiao Lu:** 'Loha! Thank you, thank you, thank you SO MUCH for the reviews! They rock! I always have to make this thing short and sweet, don't I? Anyway, a thousands thanks to my reviewers. I feel all bubbly inside (not really). Hey, if you review again, I'll give you some CyberPopcorn! If you don't like popcorn, I'll give you a CyberDonut! And if you don't like either, then tough tibbles. Here's the next installment! Oh yeah, I'll be placing a riddle up because I want to prove to my friends that people can actually get them! (They think they're hard). Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

**(I know it's easier to get them on paper, though . . . )  
A mosque, a church, a Buddhist temple, and a synagogue were all on fire. Which one should the ambulance put the fire out at first?**

…**:::Side Effects:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Sasuke woke up with an unwanted flu. He was unable to go on the mission set for that day and instead had to be carried back to his house by Kakashi due to falling unconscious on the spot. When he awoke next, he was bent of finding a book of potions. The bookshop did not have it, but on his way out, he was ambushed by Ino. Meanwhile, Kakashi gains further suspicion on Sasuke's lies._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Sasuke sighed. He was in the safety and comfort of his own home once again. The sky had grown dark. He had decided to retrieve his poison book after a good night's sleep. After all, having a fever was nothing good for the body, even if it had died down.

He wouldn't admit it at all. He wouldn't admit that he was afraid to go to sleep at night. Why? Because when the clock ticks away to midnight, he felt certain that he was going to be awoken to another episode of pain emitting from the mark.

The moon once again had taken its place in the night sky. The day had been uneventful after Sasuke had chosen to walk away from the bickering Ino and Sakura and the ever-so-annoying Naruto. And as he lay on his bed, his shirt and shorts forgotten in the closet, he couldn't ignore the loud grumbling in his stomach.

Ever since the morning, when he had decided to skip breakfast, he hadn't eaten anything. He felt that he would throw up if he did. But tomorrow, when the sun kicked away the moon, he knew he'd have to eat something.

Thinking this, he fell asleep. He just couldn't resist it. Of course, Lady Luck had been kicked away. She had been stuffed into a burlap sack and tossed into the ocean to be gone forever. For today was just not Sasuke's day.

The second the clock hanging on the wall ticked to twelve o'clock, Sasuke sat upright in his bed, grasping his bare stomach. His eyes were tightly shut and his nails clawed at his own skin. It was happening . . . again.

For three aching minutes, Sasuke hissed in pain and rolled this way and that as the mark on his chest moved another centimeter up. All of the snake's heads were now completely in his navel. He let go to inspect something, but then passed out from fatigue. It had been a long day.

Waking up, Sasuke's vision was extremely bleary. He sat up in bed and inspected his clock again: 6:37.

"It's going to be like this everyday," he ranted as he walked to his closet to pull out his usual shirt and shorts. "It's going to be like this until the thirty days are up."

After taking a refreshing shower and getting dressed, he slowly walked to the kitchen. He was planning out his day in his mind.

"First, I'm going to go to the Fifth's," he said as he pulled out a bowl of sticky rice from his refrigerator. Not bothering to heat it up, he placed it on the counter in the middle. "She's going to give me the book about poisons – I'm sure of it," he added as he retrieved a bottle of soy sauce and an egg from the fridge as well. He cracked the egg and placed it in a side bowl, throwing away the shell, and then put in a dab of soy sauce. He then mixed the new concoction into his bowl of rice and took out a pair of chopsticks.

_'And then,'_ he thought as he brought the rice to his lips, _'I'll get the – gah!'_

He had swallowed his rice, only to find excruciating pain shooting up from his throat. He coughed up the rice and dropped his chopsticks with a _clang_. His body jerked so suddenly that his bowl of tamago kake gohan toppled over the table and spilled its contents on the polished wooden floor.

"What the hell was that?!" he yelled aloud, the pain subsiding. _'It was probably just a reaction of the eggs and rice to the mark.'_

He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a pit-less cherry. He popped it into his mouth, leaving the door open. The second he swallowed, the intense pain came shooting up again and he coughed the cherry out.

"Shit . . . shit . . . shit!"

Desperately, Sasuke clawed through his refrigerator, pulling out several types of food and testing them.

The apple . . . he spat it out.

The spring roll . . . he spat it out.

The cold sweet and sour chicken . . . he spat it out.

"Argh!" he screamed aloud, taking his head in his hands. "Anything I eat gives me pain! This isn't funny Orochimaru!" he screamed to no one in particular. In the back of his mind, he could have sworn he heard soft malicious chuckles.

He looked around at the mess he had made because of his breakfast. As a last resort, he pulled out the milk carton and drank directly from the mouth. He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But no pain came.

"Great . . ." muttered Sasuke, walking to clean up the mess he made. "I'm going to have to drink things for an entire month."

After he had cleaned the mess on the floor, he ran out to head towards Tsunade's office. He had to do something about this poison. There had to be a way around it. What if there were more side effects?!

He knocked once, then twice, then again until Kakashi finally opened the door.

"Ohayo, Sasuke. What are you doing here so early?" he asked simply, stepping aside to let Sasuke in. Sasuke noticed that his left arm was bandaged thickly with wrappings. He must have injured himself during a mission.

"I couldn't sleep," Sasuke said quickly. He noticed Tsunade was hidden behind her usual high stack of papers. Behind her desk, next to the window, a large assortment of golden weapons lay. Beside those was an entire wall of bookshelves littered with books.

"Well, I was leaving. Ja ne!"

Kakashi closed the door behind him, leaving just Tsunade and Sasuke.

"Ohayo," said Tsunade, continuing to scribble on a paper. "What is it you want?"

"I was wondering if you had a book about poisons that I could borrow for a day or two," Sasuke said, getting straight to the point.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly, remembering what Kakashi had told her. "What for?" she asked suspiciously.

Sasuke noticed the tone of her voice and replied, "It's going to come in handy on future missions, so I've asked Sakura to test me on it."

Tsunade stood and walked to her long shelf of books, her slender finger gliding over the spines of them until she finally stopped at a large one. It was filled with thousands of pages and it was so ancient that its cover was tearing, but she walked over and handed it to Sasuke.

"You can return it anytime you like. I don't need it for anything," she said before waving him off.

"Arigato," said Sasuke.

When he went to open the door, Kakashi was there, waiting. He smiled and waved at Sasuke before entering Tsunade's office again. Sasuke shrugged it off, knowing that Kakashi was always this way, and walked off with the heavy book in his arms.

"Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi. "Why did you give him the book?"

"If he wanted a book so badly that he had to lie about it, I thought I should just give it to him," she retorted. She then paused, thinking for a while. "But what if he uses it for something horribly evil, such as poisoning a fellow comrade?"

Kakashi raised his only visible eyebrow. "Do you honestly think he would do that? I have faith in him. I doubt he would do anything that drastic. But nonetheless . . ."

Kakashi began creating seals with his hand, biting his thumb for a millisecond to draw blood. He then placed his hand on the floor with his palm outspread.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"1

A small pug appeared. He stared up at Kakashi with large, round eyes as his blue cape billowed slightly from having just been summoned. "What is it this time?" he asked in a bored voice.

"Uchiha Sasuke," replied Kakashi simply. "Follow him, but don't be seen, and then report back to me if you have interesting findings. I'll be at my house."

"Hai!"

Pakkun ran quickly, following the strong scent of the young Uchiha. His padded feet made no noise as he ran on the soft stone ground. He saw the Uchiha turn a corner up ahead, most likely headed to his house.

But when Pakkun rounded the corner, Sasuke wasn't there. Pakkun sniffed again, noticing that the Uchiha's direction had changed entirely. It was now behind him. He turned and ran once again.

However, once again, he was fooled. Sasuke's scent disappeared entirely, only to be found once again on the top of a tree. Pakkun quietly jumped to the branch Sasuke was resting his back against. Sasuke's face was turned on Pakkun, allowing the small dog to make himself comfortable in a perfect hiding place.

Sasuke opened the book of poisons and flipped a few pages.

"Finally," he said aloud, "I'll be able to poison that stupid dog of Kakashi's! He's such an annoying mutt!"

Pakkun's eyes got wider and he took a step back from his hiding place. _'Sasuke wanted to kill him?'_

Before he was able to turn away, Pakkun felt his legs tie together and his body stiffened. His attacker had bound him completely. He turned his head to see Sasuke, smirking and holding a string in his hands. There was a tree stump leaning against the branch Pakkun was just recently looking at.

"I expected more from a dog of Kakashi's," teased Sasuke, grabbing the small dog and keeping him in his hands. The poison book was tied securely to his back. "So what are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you if you wanted to have some tea with me," said Pakkun lightly.

"Enough joking around. I know Kakashi summons you to follow people. What did he want from me?"

When Pakkun kept his mouth shut, Sasuke gritted his teeth and held the dog tightly to him as he jumped several buildings, his destination being Kakashi's apartment.

Kakashi's house was not too far off from Tsunade's office. Sasuke was there in a matter of seconds, knocking furiously at the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," came Kakashi's voice. There was a short pause before he poked his head through the door. He was slightly surprised to see Pakkun bound and immobile in Sasuke's hands.

"I knew something like this would have happened," he said, sighing. Sasuke handed Pakkun back to him furiously. "Specially designed chakra strings – that's why Pakkun didn't leave."

"Just what do you think you're doing having Pakkun follow me like that?" he said, enraged.

"I was merely seeing if you were off to train or not," drawled Kakashi. "I don't want my students to slack off on their training, now do I?"

Sasuke glared, making Pakkun cringe slightly. Kakashi, however, was used to it.

"That's a lie and you know it! Now tell me the truth!"

Kakashi sighed and ducked his head back into his house so that he could open the door wider. He beckoned Sasuke in. Pakkun immediately disappeared after Kakashi had untied him.

Sasuke was wary at first, having never been inside of his sensei's house before. But remembering the true reason he was here, he entered and looked around, hearing Kakashi close the door shut.

It was an average apartment. There was a small living room without a television. Sasuke figured that much – when would a Jounin have time to watch TV? Looking besides the living room, there was a single full bathroom, a plain white kitchen, and two other bedrooms. Sasuke smirked as he spotted the bookshelves filled with several copies of the Icha Icha Paradise.

"Sit," Kakashi said. It wasn't a request – it was an order. Sasuke, not wanting to get on his sensei's bad side, obeyed. "Want a drink?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'm just here for an answer," he said swiftly.

Kakashi sat opposite of him and looked at the brooding Uchiha. Now that he was closer, Sasuke could see dark rings beginning to form beneath his sensei's eyes. 2 "Why did you get that poison book from Tsunade?" he asked.

"I told you before – I'm going on a mission."

Kakashi sighed. "Tsunade told me that she hadn't assigned any Genin a mission yet."

Sasuke took a sharp intake of breath and cursed quietly as he released it. He was stuck now.

"Kakashi," he said quietly. "I swear, if I could, I'd tell you. But I can't. You have to believe me. I'm not going to do anything harmful – I need the book for help, but that's as far as I can go."

There was a long pause. Kakashi looked over Sasuke, deciding on his answer. "I believe you," he said. "I don't see what you can do with a book anyway."

"Arigato, Kakashi," said Sasuke. He stood and bowed slightly – the first time to Kakashi 3 – and left.

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 It's the summoning technique that Kakashi uses to summon his nin-dogs

2 Don't ask me about the dark rings. They'll be repetitive, but it'll all be explained later, okay?

3 Sasuke never calls his elders with a suffix, nor has he shown any respect for them, and since calling Kakashi "Kakashi-sensei" was never said by him, I just put that he bowed to show his respect


	4. Serpens Venenum

**Xiao Lu:** Hey y'all! I'm back again! A little late, which I'm sorry for, but blame my soccer coach! (Not really, he's cool). Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to make up for it with this chapter. This is sort of a filler (begins dodging fruit), but it's got information of what the hell Serpens Venenum is. I hope you enjoy! Thanks to all my wonderful, wonderful reviewers! YAY! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

**Oh yeah, I forgot the riddles, didn't I? Well, that's because no one answered them! I'll try one more this time: A rooster laid an egg on the peak of a house's roof that looks like an upside down V (). Which way will the egg roll off?**

…**:::Serpens Venenum:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Sasuke experienced two of the side effects of the poison – the first being the movement of the mark and the second being the fact that he is unable to eat anything solid. After experiencing this, he finally gains the book of poisons from Tsunade's office, but Kakashi has Pakkun follow him on his suspicions. Sasuke found Pakkun, tied him up, and had a short conversation with Kakashi._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Finally alone in the comforts of his home, Sasuke took a sip of orange juice before opening the cover of the ancient book. The sun was still up and he was hunched over his desk in its light.

_Table of Contents._

Sasuke traced one slender finger over the page's words, searching for anything that would give an indication of the poison he had. He checked the 'S' section for anything that would have the word 'snake' or 'serpent' in it. Although the names were all in Latin, he thought he found his match.

_Serpens Venenum._

Sasuke flipped to the page – 1,038 – and found exactly what he was looking for. Besides the small print and the name of the poison, he saw the picture of the mark on his chest.

"Perfect," he exclaimed aloud. Immediately, he began reading.

_Serpens Venenum. Translated into English as the 'Serpent's Venom'. This specific area of poison is highly rare. In order to brew this poison, the user must extract the venom from an adult anaconda. The user must then mix this venom with a cup of their own saliva and have it left in exposure to a full moon for seven days and nights._

_The poison should only be inserted into the victim through a glass needle through the victim's neck. If inserted in any other way, the poison will not be highly fatal. As soon as the poison is injected, the victim will have twelve hours before a high fever will take over their body for another twelve hours. During this time, the victim will experience heavy migraines, dizziness, lack of breath, and fatigue._

_Chakra is the poison's main feeding ground. The poison will begin to slowly affect the chakra stream, eating it away for exactly seven hundred forty-four hours. The victim will then die from lack of chakra. Due to the poison, the victim will experience pains during eating and eventually, intense fatigue. Depending on the victim's age, a state of complete unconsciousness will occur randomly where the victim will not have any control of power and will go completely berserk, causing a danger to anyone in the area. The victim will not be able to digest a solid food without feeling extreme pain. Pure liquids are able to bypass the poison in the chakra._

_When examined, the victim's chakra will take on its normal color instead of the expected green. The mark also has the ability to sense another's presence. When another chakra-bearing being is within a five meter radius of the victim, the mark will become visible to only the victim._

_Every day for the amount of time the poison has to take effect, the mark will become unstable at exactly midnight. It will then grow a centimeter in length and half a centimeter in width until the hours are over. By this time, the mark will no longer be inanimate and will choke the victim to death._

_The ingredients to the antidote of this poison are as follows. However, the antidote will not have any effect until six hours before the potion takes full effect, or later._

_1 Hammerstone seed _1

_1 Wildblood seed_

_1 Cadavaberry_

_1 Dwellberry_

_1 Jute_

_2 Woad leaves_

_1 Harralander_

_1 Nasturtium seed_

_1 Marrentill seed_

_2 Tarromins_

_3 Doogle leaves_

_1 Toad's leg_

_1 lb. Swamp tar_

_1 Desert goat horn_

_5 oz. Ground guam_

_8 oz. Seaweed_

_The ingredients must be inserted into a bamboo bowl with the maximum width, height, and length of eight centimeters. The bowl should then be filled to the brim with the blood from the victim's chest with a **golden** kunai. The victim should cover the palms of his hands with the mix and should place one over the heart and the other over the wound made by the kunai. With both hands placed firmly over the specific areas, the victim should then take a single sip from the antidote._

_Once this is complete, the victim will fall into a state of unconsciousness for a period of twenty-four hours. When he awakens, he will be rid of the poison._

Sasuke groaned. There was just too much to do. A small portion of the ingredients for the antidote were rare. The ending of the antidote didn't exactly excite him, either. And the thing he hated the most were the effects. He couldn't eat anything without hurting himself immensely, he'd eventually be so tired that he'd collapse in the middle of talking to someone, and he'd suddenly have these seizures where he wouldn't have any control over!

He knew there was only one thing left to do: get the ingredients.

Looking out the window, he realized that it wasn't anywhere near sunset yet. He had enough time to at least gather information about the ingredients. There were only a handful that he knew where to get, but the others were a complete mystery to him. But he did know where one certainly was.

"Gaara," Sasuke found himself saying fifteen minutes later. He was standing in front of the Sand shinobi, who had been currently walking through the town alone, no doubt searching for Tsunade. He would not venture to another country for any other reason.

"Is there something you want, Uchiha?" he asked calmly, crossing his arms over his chest and continuing to walk. Sasuke walked alongside him, his hands in his pockets.

"I need a certain ingredient."

Gaara stopped walking and looked at him sternly. "For what?"

"A certain medical antidote for Sakura."

"Why doesn't she just come to me to ask?"

_'Why does this guy ask so many questions?'_ thought Sasuke.

"Because she's currently working with Tsunade on something and she wanted me to get her a list of her ingredients."

"And this ingredient would be?"

"A desert goat horn."

Sasuke thought that since Gaara was from the desert, he'd at least know what the heck a desert goat was. To his surprise, Gaara pulled something off of his sash. It was a small ivory horn with a crimson tip and it was attached to a now-broken piece of string. Gaara handed it to Sasuke.

Sasuke took it gratefully, confused at how Gaara had just conveniently had it. As if reading his mind, Gaara answered: "It's very rare, but I've got a good supply. If you drink from this horn, your chakra instantly becomes replenished unless you've done something to corrupt it. I keep it around for Kankuro and Temari's sake."

"Arigato," Sasuke said indifferently. "I'll see you around."

"Hai," came Gaara's short reply. The two nodded in silence and continued on their way.

"That was probably the easiest ingredient to get," Sasuke said aloud to himself. He stared at the horn that was grasped in his hand. One down . . . fifteen to go.

And he knew just who to ask.

Once again, Sasuke found himself staring at one of his comrades.

"Sakura, I need your . . . assistance," he said, staring at the kunoichi.

Sakura stepped outside, closing the door behind her. "Why would you need my help?" she asked innocently.

"You're a medical ninja in training. I need you to lie to Tsunade for me," said Sasuke. He knew the reaction he was going to get.

"What? Lie to Tsunade-sama?" exclaimed Sakura. "Why would you want to do that?!"

"Look, it's a long story. I need to get out of this village for a while to visit an ingredients shop, but I can't give a good enough excuse. So if you were to just tell Tsunade that you've run out of ingredients or something, she'll let you go there."

"Why do you need the ingredients shop?"

_'Why the hell is everyone asking so many questions?!'_

"I can't tell anyone. But it's important. _Really_ important. Please?"

Sakura thought for a while, resting her back against her door. "But why can't we just tell her the truth?"

"She won't think of it as a good enough reason. No more excuses, Sakura. Please? It's just right outside of this village, and I'm going to accompany you, so there won't be any harm done. We'll be back before the morning comes."

Sakura sighed. She looked at her crush. "It's not like I'm going to lie to her anyway," she said softly. "I really have run out of most of my ingredients. And since this is that important to you, I'm willing to do it. But first, we have to get permission."

"Arigato, Sakura!" Sasuke said. He flashed a slight, barely noticeable smile/smirk, knowing that it was the _most _he could do to show his appreciation. This ingredients shop was all he needed to get to in order to complete the ingredients for his antidote. Well . . . besides the golden kunai. He already had the bamboo bowl since he used it for eating and when he'd measured several of them, one turned out to be the exact size needed.

Sakura opened the door slightly to scream, "Mom! I'm going out to Tsunade-sama's!"

"Alright, Sakura!" came the reply. With that, Sakura closed the door, smiled at Sasuke, and then the two began their journey to the Fifth's.

Sakura knocked on the door politely and then opened without waiting for an answer. She was Tsunade's apprentice, after all. They knew when the other was near.

"Ah, Sakura, Sasuke. What brings both of you here?" she said. "I believe that book is doing you good, is it, Sasuke?"

"Hai," said Sasuke calmly.

"Tsunade-sama," began Sakura. "My ingredient's supply has run out and with missions coming up, I need to restock. Sasuke has agreed to accompany me on my trip to the ingredients shop in the nearest village. I am asking for your permission."

Tsunade thought this over. Of course, she trusted Sakura. And after all, as a medic-nin, it was vital to have ingredients.

"I will allow you to venture outside of here. However, you need one more person. As Genins, I cannot allow you to travel outside unless you are a three-man team, however powerful Sasuke is. And so, as soon as you decide on another person, I will let you leave."

Sakura smiled. "I know the perfect person!" she said.

Sasuke groaned.

"Naruto."

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 If any of you are wondering where the hell I got all of these weird names, I got them from a game. Are any of you familiar with Runescape? I have a member's account on there and these are most of the seeds that you can acquire. So you can give all credit to the makers of Runescape.


	5. Haywire

**Xiao Lu:** Oh my God! I'm loved! YAY! I love you reviewers - this story has been a success! However, I give NO LOVE to those who have put me on their alerts or their favorites and have not even bothered to review! I mean, I greatly appreciate all of the hits (2, 646!), but if you guys weren't lazy enough to click the button TWICE to put me in alerts, then why aren't you active just to send in a few words of gratitude? It's jerks like you that put me down!

Sorry, I have no excuse for my lateness! But I can make it up for you! Here's an action-packed (sorta), LONG chapter! And now, it's time to leave you! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

…**:::Haywire:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Finally in the comforts of his own home, Sasuke reads about the poison injected into him and gains a shock. After finding the list of ingredients needed for the antidote, he obtains the first from Gaara – the desert goat horn. With another plan on his mind, he goes to fetch Sakura so they can gain access for a mission to an ingredient's shop, but they need one more person . . . Naruto._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Sasuke and Sakura had to make the trip to Naruto's apartment to pick him up personally. The sun had already set a while ago, and Sakura was one hundred percent sure that Naruto wouldn't be in his apartment. Sasuke, however, knew the dobe for too long.

He rasped on the door quickly. When there was no answer, Sakura stuck her tongue out at Sasuke playfully and said, "I told you so!"

Sasuke smirked and knocked on the door louder. "You'll see."

There was some scuttling behind the door and a drowsy voice said, "I'm coming . . ."

Sakura frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Sasuke's smirk only widened.

Naruto appeared at the door, opening it wide to reveal his overly messy apartment. The only problem was . . .

"Oh Holy Mother of God!" screamed Sakura, closing her eyes and looking away. "My eyes! I've gone blind!"

Even Sasuke had to turn away, screaming, "Usuratonkachi! Put some pants on!"

Naruto was standing in the doorway and had once had a weary, miffed expression on his face, but now he was blushing furiously and was scrambling through his apartment. The only things he wore were his black and white panda hat, a plain white shirt . . . and star-spangled boxers.

"What are you doing here?!" said Naruto from inside of his apartment. He was still scrambling for pants.

"We have a mission to do," said Sasuke, regaining his composure. "What are you doing sleeping so early?"

Naruto returned at the door, fully dressed when he heard that he was going to have a mission to do. He closed his door behind him and locked it.

"I wanted to wake up really early tomorrow so I could try out that morning training at the lake that Kiba told me about."

Sakura laughed and Sasuke smirked.

"You do know Kiba was joking, right?" giggled Sakura.

Naruto's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. "What?!"

"This isn't the time," interrupted Sasuke. "We should finish the mission before the sun has the chance to come up."

"What's it about?"

Sasuke sighed . . . it was going to take several tries to get the dobe to fully understand the ever-so-simple mission.

**XxXxXxX**

"Ne, ne, where are we going?" asked Naruto for the umpteenth time as Sakura dragged him away.

Sasuke shook his head. Out of all of the ninjas in the village, Sakura just had to go and pick Naruto. They had told him over and over and_ over_ again where they were going, but did Naruto listen? _No._

"We're going to the ingredients shop to restock my ingredients!" yelled Sakura, pulling Naruto out of Konoha's gates. "Now let's _go!"_

Sasuke didn't need to be told twice. He was the one carrying the backpack. They didn't need anything specific – it wasn't going to take that long to go to the ingredient's shop and back. But he needed something to put all of the ingredients _in_. While they took off in the trees to reach the outskirts of the Hidden Village of Grass, Sasuke fingered the list in his pocket. All he had to do was wait a few weeks . . .

"I heard Granny Tsunade is going to give us a mission at the beginning of next week!" said Naruto as they jumped from branch to branch.

"She did say that, but she said that the girls would go on a separate mission and that the boys would go on their own," replied Sakura.

Sasuke grimaced in his mind. He didn't want to go on any missions in the condition he was in – especially if he awoke every midnight screaming and writhing in pain.

"She also said it was going to be a dangerous mission. It's most likely going to be a C Rank mission, but she said that it could turn into a B Rank mission if the odds turn against us."

"Sakura-chan, isn't that the Grass Village?" asked Naruto half an hour later.

Sasuke jerked his head up. They truly were at the gates of the Grass Village. But that was not their destination. If correct, the ingredient's shop should be somewhere to the east of their current direction.

"We're close!" squealed Sakura with delight. They hadn't taken a single rest for the entire half hour they were traveling, and the sun was already setting, sending a flurry of colors into the darkening sky.

Sasuke continued to scan the area until his obsidian eyes rested upon a medium-sized shack in a clearing of the thick forest. Without a word, he changed his direction and headed towards it. Sakura and Naruto followed after noticing his abrupt change.

"We found it!" said Naruto, bouncing with delight. "I wonder if they have a ramen shop around here . . ."

"Baka!" shouted Sakura.

Sasuke, ignoring the two, went closer to the ingredients shop. By the looks of it, no one was present. The shack itself was made of varnished wood and the three large windows were curtained with blue.

Stepping forward once more to make sure that there was no one within, Sasuke got the shock of the moment.

The shack burst into flames.

Sakura and Naruto stopped their bickering to stare dumbstruck at the burning shack.

"What did you do?!" yelled Naruto, looking at the shack.

"I didn't do anything!" exclaimed Sasuke. His eyes were wide. How could this have happened? No enemy was in any line of sight! His ingredients shop was burning down to the ground!

"No!" screamed Sakura, running up to see if there was anything she could do. But Sasuke held her back, hearing something malicious and familiar. He turned to the trees to see Kabuto standing there, laughing openly.

"Why Sasuke-kun," he said, jumping down to their level. "What a surprise it is to see you here!"

"Kabuto!" Sakura and Naruto said in unison.

"What did you do?!" Sasuke yelled, enraged to the max.

"Orochimaru-sama didn't want to make it that easy for you. This is the nearest ingredients shop for miles to come. It will be the same for all ingredient shops you visit. You need to find them yourself," replied Kabuto calmly, adjusting his glasses. "You really didn't think this was going to be that easy, did you?"

"You bastard!" Sasuke said. He swung at Kabuto carelessly, but Kabuto simply dodged the punch.

"Now, now, Sasuke-kun, you really don't want to do that."

"What's he talking about, Sasuke-teme?" asked Naruto.

"Damare, baka!"

After screaming this, he turned back to face Kabuto. The shack was giving off billowing clouds of smoke that rose into the darkened sky. The flames that had now risen were radiating off intense heat. "I'll kill you!" he said, running forward with a kunai at hand.

Sasuke engaged himself in pointless hand-to-hand combat with Kabuto. Their kunais met for a second before Sasuke forced himself to duck. He did a leg sweep, bringing down Kabuto from the back, but Kabuto quickly flipped onto his hands to escape a nasty fall.

"You don't have to do this, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto said calmly once again as he continued to dodge all of Sasuke's angered punches. First a kick, then a punch to the chest, then another to the head, but those were all dodged.

Kabuto, swift as he was, had Sasuke down in a millisecond. His hand gripped Sasuke's throat mercilessly and he settled himself on the boy's upper torso, leaving Sasuke immobilized.

"Sasuke-kun!" screamed Sakura. Naruto made a move to get to him, but Kabuto held a kunai by Sasuke's throat, threatening to kill him.

"I can't say much now, Sasuke-kun," said Kabuto in a dangerously sweet voice. He leaned in closer so that he was whispering in Sasuke's ear, "but your life is in my hands. I can trigger that . . . _thing_ anytime I want, and you'll go down earlier. So don't do anything you'd want to regret."

Smiling, Kabuto slowly slid the kunai across Sasuke's throat. A shallow trail of blood followed its motion before it was taken off. He gave Sasuke one last punch to the gut before turning to Naruto and Sakura. Waving delightfully, he said, "Sayonara!" before disappearing randomly.

Sasuke stood up immediately, completely enraged at both Kabuto and Orochimaru. He brought his hand to his neck where blood seeped through his fingers as Naruto and Sakura came over.

"What was that about?" asked Sakura.

"It shouldn't concern you two," Sasuke replied harshly, walking away. He could feel the slight weight of the bag on his pack. It should have been filled with ingredients, but Orochimaru had put a stop to that.

"How does Kabuto know about this?" continued Naruto.

"It's none of your business!"

"But then how –"

"I said it was none of your business!" Sasuke cut in harshly. He couldn't take it from them anymore. "This mission has failed. We're going back to Konoha."

"Who died and made you leader?" asked Naruto as they were ricocheting off the trees on their journey.

Sasuke chose to ignore that. Sakura didn't press on because she noticed the muscle twitching in Sasuke's jaw. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't.

"You didn't answer my question, teme!" he continued. "We don't have to take orders from you!"

BAM!

In one swift motion, Sasuke was standing in front of Naruto on a single flimsy tree branch and he had clouted Naruto in the chin so hard that the poor boy went sailing upwards to hit his head into the branch above.

"Sasuke-kun!" gasped Sakura.

Sasuke was about to turn around and head away, but Naruto stopped him by positioning himself directly in front of him. He drew back his fist, shouting, "Teme!" but Sasuke caught it and ducked beneath the next punch sent his way.

"Stop it!" Sakura pleaded, going over to the two of them.

"You're annoying!" Sasuke shouted at Naruto, kicking him swiftly in the chest. Naruto caught himself before he was able to hit the tree behind him, but Sasuke was already sending a quick flurry of punches and kicks at him. Naruto did the same.

"We're teammates! Stop it right now!" demanded Sakura. But the boys would not listen. One fist after another, they went head on. Both had already started bleeding from their lips.

So Sakura did the only thing she knew would stop them.

She put herself between them.

Sasuke's fist went to her temple, jerking her head one way. Naruto's kick went to her side, slamming her into the trunk of a nearby tree. At the same time, they deciphered what had happened, and both exclaimed, "Sakura!"

**XxXxXxX**

"This is your fault, teme," stated Naruto as he watched Sasuke carry back the unconscious Sakura. The two had knocked her unconscious when she hit the tree trunk. They were continuing their journey back to Konoha.

"My fault?!" Sasuke said incredulously. "How can it possibly be my fault? You couldn't stop trying to pick a fight with me. It was your kick that knocked her unconscious." He shifted Sakura in his arms to get into a more comfortable carrying position as he rocketed himself off another branch.

"You're the one that thought you were the leader of everything!" retorted Naruto.

"No, I wasn't trying to claim myself leader. I merely gave a simple, _logical_ statement and you twisted it into a demand, dobe."

It had gone on like this for the rest of the journey. In the end, after Sasuke and Naruto had delivered Sakura back home with a feigned explanation, and after Sakura's mother had offered to clean up their injuries from their unknown fight, Naruto had stopped talking to Sasuke completely and vice versa.

The night was out already because of the winter solstice and its effect. It was still early enough for the town to be filled with life.

"Ne, Sasuke!" he heard someone call his name. It was a lazy voice, one that could only belong to a lazy person. And there was only one lazy person with that lazy voice in Konoha.

Sasuke turned around slowly to see two heads of spiked hair bobbing up and down through the crowds. Shikamaru's head popped up first, followed by Chouji who, for once, had nothing in his hands that he was devouring. As a matter-of-fact, his eyes were slightly red and his nose was radish pink.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked smoothly.

"What happened to you?" asked Shikamaru, completely off of the point he wanted to get to. He noticed the thin lines of blood that were dripping from the cut on his neck and the slight bruise that had formed beneath his left eye.

Sasuke wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth hastily before saying, "It's not important. What's the real point?"

Chouji sneezed, covering his mouth with his hands.

"Don't mind Chouji here – he's gotten sick from out latest mission. Anyway, Tsunade-sama told me to inform everyone that's coming on the following mission. We're going to have said mission on Monday, which you, Neji, Kiba, Naruto, and I are all going to go on. Chouji can't go because he's got the flu, Shino can't go because his family is having a meeting with some important general of some sort, and Lee can't go because of his recent injuries during a mission."

"How long is the mission going to take?" asked Sasuke. He wasn't too thrilled about the idea of having to spend more time with Naruto than needed.

"Tsunade-sama hasn't given me the details yet. Just get your equipment together." Under his breath, he added, "This is going to be troublesome . . . I can feel it . . ."

"Hn," replied Sasuke.

"Ja ne."

Before either of them could turn to leave, Chouji sneezed harder than before. He wasn't able to catch himself with his hands like the previous sneeze, so specks of spit hit Sasuke in the face.

"Chouji!" exclaimed Sasuke, wiping away the spit.

"Sorry, Sasuke," he replied in a nasally voice.

"That's it – we're going to Asuma-sensei for an excuse for you. Ja ne," repeated Shikamaru. He pulled Chouji by the scarf that hung around his neck and the two disappeared into the crowd.

Sasuke continued his journey back to his own house, worrying slightly over the time. If it was late, he would not make it to his house in time for the midnight usual. He looked at his stomach in spite. So far, he was able to go a single day without eating. Would this last a month?

Finally, he decided that he would eat once a week, despite the pain. In the survival lesson he had taken in school, it had stated that one could go three days without water and three weeks without food. He hoped the lesson was true.


	6. Seaside Medley

**Xiao Lu:** Hey all! Finally, I've updated, huh? I got inspired by my best friend, who I've just been talking to (she's overseas in New York) and I guess this chapter is dedicated to her. Because if I had a problem, she'd help me get through it. Wink wink, blink blink, this might be some sort of hint for the future of the story . . . ? Anyway, I want to thank all of my reviewers! I'm so happy! Arigato! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

…**:::Seaside Medley:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_After finally reaching the ingredients shop, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto get paid a little visit by Kabuto, who sets the shop on fire. Sasuke and Kabuto go into brief combat because of Sasuke's anger, but Kabuto leaves him with a warning and a few wounds. On their way back, Sasuke and Naruto get into a heated argument and manage to knock Sakura unconscious. Now on his lonesome, Sasuke encountered a sick Chouji and a bored Shikamaru with information about an upcoming mission._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The night and day following the ingredient shop incident had definitely been the longest Sasuke had ever experienced. The second he had gotten home and closed the door behind him, his knees had buckled and he had dropped to the ground. The mark moved up out of his navel. Exhausted, Sasuke had passed out on the varnished wooden floor.

When the light of the morning sun peered through the windows to greet Sasuke, the boy had opened his eyes slowly to an aching pain everywhere in his body. He was unable to move without upsetting his legs or arms or chest. Thinking that it couldn't get any worse, he then noticed that his nose had become clogged, a migraine had taken over his mind, and he sneezed occasionally.

"Curse that Chouji!" he whispered aloud in a nasally voice.

The germs from when Chouji had sneezed had made their way into his body from his nose and mouth.

The wooden floor hadn't helped him much either, especially the way he had been spread out after falling unconscious. When he tried to get to his feet, his head would give an intense throb and his knees would buckle.

_'And I was thinking about going to get more ingredients today!'_ he scolded himself.

Finally, after several painful minutes, he managed to get to his feet without falling over. He dragged himself to the bathroom where he took a long look at himself in the mirror. It certainly didn't look like he had had a wonderful day. The bruise Naruto had given him beneath his eye was now a light purple in color. Blood dried beside his lip from where he'd received a powerful kick to the cheek, and the knife wound from Kabuto was dried, but clearly visible against his paper-white skin.

Sasuke groaned and washed up before proceeding to the kitchen slowly. Everything was going in and out of focus for him and it seemed that the more he moved, the blearier his vision became.

The food in the refrigerator was pushed aside carelessly as he looked for something to drink. There was absolutely nothing in the white container except small samples of food – he'd need to buy more later. Shrugging, he walked to the cabinet and pulled out a green tea bag to dip into some hot water . . . just the way he liked it.

**XxXxXxX**

This time, he wouldn't be leaving Konoha with permission.

Sasuke stood at the edge of the gates, holding the side of the wall for support as he waited for his vision to clear. He had had several of these dizzy spells where everything would blur and he would fall to the ground, but this time he had the wall to support him.

He was going to go to the sea and back. It was a simple task, considering that the sea was closer to Konoha than the Grass Village was. He would be there in about ten or so minutes, pick the seaweed, search for a few berries, and then head back in the duration of an hour. It wouldn't be _that_ hard.

How wrong he was.

Stepping out of the gates after making sure no one was watching him (he didn't want to become a criminal for not gaining permission), he immediately took to the trees in higher hopes that no one would see him. Unfortunately, though, it took a little longer to reach the sea than anticipated. Sasuke had to stop sometimes to right his vision, or in the worst cases, vomit. The flu was having a greater effect on him that he had thought. He was going to kill Chouji when he got back.

And so, he reached the shores of the sea in twenty minutes.

Smirking at the sun, he proceeded to the shores. He had awoken so early that by the time he got back, his meeting with Kakashi and the others wouldn't begin for another twenty minutes if he used his time wisely. Something peculiar caught his eye.

There was a shack by the shores. It wasn't as small as the ingredients shop they had been to, but it was still slightly run down and seemed to be extremely ancient. The wooden boards that were used as its base were highly weathered and the roof had several holes that needed repair. But what caught Sasuke's eyes the most was the garden that was grown in the sand. It had a large variety of vegetation that could be of some use to him.

He decided that he would see if there was anyone living in the shack after he obtained the seaweed. Slowly so that his migraine didn't ache any further, he edged towards the water, pulling up his arm warmers so that they reached his elbow. The water was cold against his exposed legs, but he ignored it and began searching for the seaweed. It wasn't so easy with his blurry vision.

"Child?" a voice said. The voice sounded as ancient as the shack on the shore and Sasuke determined that it was the owner. But before he even had the chance to turn around, something icy hit his body head-on and he found himself beneath the water, which seemed darker from his position. He seemed to be fainting a lot recently.

**XxXxXxX**

"Ah, I see you are awake, young one."

There was that voice again – ancient and cracked, yet gentle and dripping with syrupy kindness. Sasuke had trouble opening his eyes, but when he did, he was met by an elderly female face. The woman couldn't have been any younger that Tsunade. Her skin was drooping by her chin and around her eyes and was darkly tanned. She smiled, revealing a full set of teeth. Her white hair was propped up in a bun without a wisp of hair out of place.

Sasuke was immediately alerted. He sat upright, but a cold hand stopped him. It was placed on his bare chest. Wait . . . his _bare_ chest. Looking down, Sasuke realized that he was in nothing but his boxer shorts! Surprisingly, the mark on his chest was clearly visible, but the old woman had noticed nothing. The seal on his shoulder was sending small signals of pain, but she hadn't noticed that either.

"What happened to my clothes?!" he exclaimed. He realized that his voice had gone hoarse. He looked down at his chest again, at the mark in plain view. "Was there anything on my chest?"

"You fell into the water and passed out," the old woman said gently. She straightened herself and walked to a further part of the shack. Sasuke realized he was on an extremely comfortable mattress. "Your clothes are being dried outside. And no, you had not sustained any injuries on your chest. You're perfectly fine in that area."

So the book had been correct about masking the mark when a being got within a five meter radius.

"How long have I been here?" asked Sasuke. He got himself into a more comfortable position and looked around the shack. It had more than one room and he supposed that he was in the bedroom by the way that it was closed off from everything else. The old woman was by a table where several containers were placed.

"A few hours at least. I was beginning to think that you would never wake up. You had a horrible cut on your neck that had gotten infected, but I managed to put together a medicine that will stop the bacteria from flowing."

Sasuke brought his hand to his neck to feel the bandages that were bound loosely for comfort.

"Arigato," he said quietly. "But I really have to be going. I have a meeting."

"What is a Konoha ninja like yourself doing out alone by the seas?" she asked him as she turned around. She held a cup filled with a steaming substance. "Drink this – it will ease that cold of yours."

Sasuke nodded his head in thanks as he took the cup and drank a sip before answering, "I came looking for ingredients."

"Oh?" said the old woman curiously. "What would those be?"

Sasuke reached down to grab the list from his pants, but realized that he wasn't wearing them. "The list is in my shorts."

"I'll be right back with your clothes then. As soon as you drink that, you'll be able to leave."

She left the room, leaving the door opened behind her. A cold breeze swirled into the small bedroom and Sasuke shivered. He drank deeply from the sweet-tasting tea, letting the hot liquid slide down his throat.

"I can get you a few of these ingredients if you would like," the old woman said as she reentered the room with a moistened list in one hand and Sasuke's dried clothes in the other. She placed the clothes gently on the bed and pointed to something that Sasuke couldn't make out through his bleary vision. "I have the seaweed you would like. I supposed that was the reason you came here?"

"Hn."

"I have also got the swamp tar and quite a few toads' legs. I might also have the single jute, though I'm not quite sure. Every other ingredient is unfamiliar to me, however."

"I would be eternally grateful," replied Sasuke in his hoarse voice. He inwardly shook his head and mentally slapped himself for using such words.

"Well then, get dressed and I will see what I can do with these ingredients!"

The old woman left once again, leaving Sasuke to stand up wearily and put on his clothes. His migraine was still in place despite what the old woman had said about the tea, and his flu had possibly gotten worse because of the water.

After pulling up the zipper on his shorts, he made his way out of the bedroom and into the other single room in the shack. It was a mixture of a living room and a kitchen. The old woman was bagging the ingredients for Sasuke.

"I put some medicine in there for you to take to stop your flu. Everything else is exactly weighed. You are quite a lucky young man to have stopped by here. I am a medic-nin after all."

"I don't know how to repay you," said Sasuke, taking the bag and putting on his shoes.

"There is no need for that. I hope you have a safe return to your village. And if there is any trouble, I am here to back you up."

"Arigato."

With that, Sasuke turned around and left, not uttering another word. The old woman had already closed her door.

_'Five down,'_ he thought, _'eleven to go.'_

**XxXxXxX**

"Sasuke-teme!"

As if the flu hadn't been enough, the migraine had to only get stronger with a certain loud voice. Sasuke was at the bridge where Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto stood. They had probably just come back from the mission by the looks of all of the dirt on Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi, who had been reading his book, looked up.

"You're once again unusually late, Sasuke. We've already finished our D-Rank mission," he said in his calm voice. Watching Sasuke wearily come over, he added, "It seems you have another flu. And why are there bandages around your neck?"

"Chouji sneezed on me," he replied wearily. Not wanting to tell that he had gone out of Konoha without permission, he said, "I had overslept and woke up with this damned flu. These bandages are because I . . ."

_'Damn it! I can't come up with a lie for that one!'_

"It's alright. Sakura and Naruto already told me about your encounter with Kabuto yesterday. I can see you did a good job of patching yourself up."

Sasuke finally looked up into the eyes of his sensei and his eyes widened in his mind. Kakashi's eyes had highly-visible dark bags beneath his eyes – an advancement from what he had last seen. But he said nothing of it.

"That's not like you, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura. Sasuke could tell she had been worried throughout the mission they had done.

"What's with the bag, teme?"

Sasuke ignored him. Naruto, realizing that he'd broken his vow of not talking to Sasuke, snorted and turned away with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Well, now that you're here, I can tell you the information about the mission you will all take part in tomorrow. Are you sure you'll be able to do it, Sasuke?"

"Of course he can!" Sakura spoke up for him. "He's Sasuke Uchiha! He's not going to get a little flu get in the way!"

Kakashi nodded his head. In his own eyes, he was taking in Sasuke's appearance. The bruise on his face was beginning to fade, but dark rings were starting to form beneath his eyes, clearly visible because of his pale complexion. There was also something else wrong with him . . . with his body in general, but Kakashi couldn't place his tongue on it.

"Anyway," he continued, "Tsunade-sama sent word to all of the Jounins to tell this. All three of you will have a similar mission, except Sakura will be going with the girls. Your mission is to obtain a single scroll from a certain country. This scroll is filled with top secret information that Konoha needs and is in danger of being captured by enemy ninjas. This is a C-Rank mission, but it can instantly be turned into a B-Rank mission depending on the strength of the enemy."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. "Finally! A dangerous mission!"

"I hope you break a limb," Sasuke whispered hoarsely. His whisper wasn't heard by anyone but Kakashi, who smiled beneath his mask.


	7. Surefire

**Xiao Lu:** I know, I know, it's been a while since I've updated . . . BUT I HAVE AN EXCUSE! See, it's not school anymore! No, this is a better excuse. For four whole days, every time I tried to update, it WOULDN'T LET ME! They kepts saying "Error" and I've tried hours on end, and now, they let me! So here's a chapter for you guys to enjoy(hopefully) Please Read and Review! I've got nothing else to say . . . except that Preps suck and so does my school (which is one large preppy thing altogether). Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

…**:::Surefire::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Chouji's germs found their way into Sasuke and have given him a powerful, weakening flu. Deciding that it was now or never, Sasuke left Konoha to the sea to gather more ingredients. When there, he falls unconscious, only to awaken in the shack by the sea at the care of an old woman. The woman healed his wounds and gave him several ingredients. On his way back, he realized that he was utterly late for his mission, and that it was already completed. Kakashi gave them more information on their upcoming B-rank mission._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Pain.

Unbearable pain.

Sweat.

Cold sweat.

Sasuke tossed and turned unconsciously on his bed, covered in a thin layer of icy sweat. His bed sheets tangled around his limbs as he moaned, his eyebrows furrowed. He turned again and was teetering on the edge of the bed. It had been long past midnight, where the mark had once again come to life from its inanimate state.

_He was just sleeping there, on the bed, when it happened. _1

Sasuke turned once again, oblivious to everything in reality. His mind was set in the nightmare that was currently boggling his mind.

**XxXxXxX**

"Kaka-sensei," said Sakura, biting her bottom lip. "Should we go get Sasuke from his house? He may have overslept again."

Kakashi nodded from behind his orange book. The bags beneath his eyes had receded to nothing but darkness similar to lightly applied eye shadow. "I think it's a little more than that. But we should get him before Tsunade-sama chops my head off for delaying the mission. Come on, Naruto."

"I don't see why I have to come along! I can wait for Shikamaru!" rejected Naruto stubbornly.

"Baka!" cried Sakura, knocking Naruto a good one across the head before dragging his body behind Kakashi.

Sakura shuddered when they walked through the remnants of the Uchiha village. Nothing was touched because no one had bothered to venture into the area. The blood was still dried on the walls; the kunais were still implanted into the roofs of the houses; the only thing that was missing was the corpses that had once lined the streets. No one dared to come, no one but Sasuke, who lived in the largest and only standing Uchiha household. Kakashi knocked three times on the door and waited patiently. He took out his book once more and leaned against the side of the house.

"Can't you think of anything else besides that book of yours?" asked Sakura in an annoyed voice. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's getting interesting," was the simple reply.

When Sasuke didn't answer the door once again, Naruto banged on it, almost reducing it to a pile of splinters.

"Sasuke," said Kakashi, pocketing his book. "I'm coming in."

He opened the door, knowing that he kept it unlocked while he was occupying it, and beckoned Naruto and Sakura in. Sakura was ready to faint on the spot. She was in Sasuke-kun's house! She couldn't help but squeal from delight.

"The next time we come in, remind me to bring a camera," she said as Kakashi immediately went for the bedroom.

"He's got a big house," commented Naruto. He stared at the Uchiha mansion with slightly wide eyes. He didn't want to give the impression that he was jealous of his rival.

The door to Sasuke's room was closed, as Kakashi had suspected. He told Naruto and Sakura to wait in the living room, but the two couldn't keep their curiosity inside of them. When Kakashi had disappeared into the bedroom, the two had peeked inside, looking at the luxury the Uchiha lived in.

Sakura's face flushed and she closed her eyes. Naruto stared at her in puzzlement as she leaned back to hit the wall, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Huh? Sakura-chan?"

"Sasuke-kun's room . . ." she kept repeating, staring dreamily at the room again.

Naruto looked back inside and decided to follow Kakashi. He then looked at what Sakura had been so dreamy about, but Naruto thought it was anything _but_ lovely. Sasuke was on his bed with the sheets lying forgotten on the floor. He wasn't missing anything on his Uchiha body . . . except his clothing. He was only lying on the bed in his black boxers.

"Gah! My eyes!" screamed Naruto, turning away for a second to rub his eyes.

"You're a boy as well, Naruto," said Kakashi as he walked to the edge of Sasuke's bed. He then turned to Naruto and lifted an eyebrow. "Unless you're hiding something from us . . .?"

Sakura broke out of her daze and went into a fit of giggles at the joke Kakashi had implied.

"Kaka-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto. "I'm glad we're leaving you for a few days!"

Kakashi put a finger to his lips and turned back to Sasuke. The Uchiha was shivering slightly, despite the thin layer of sweat on his bare body. He turned over once so that he was now lying completely on his back, and a moan escaped from his lips. Kakashi put a gloved hand to his forehead like he had done a few days ago.

"What's with teme these days?" stated Naruto, venturing around the room to look at things. "Why is he always getting a fever?!"

"I guess his immune system isn't strong enough to fight off the germs. Naruto, stop touching his personal belongings."

_The mark came to life. It slithered up his chest, tensing his muscles with its movement._

"But the teme looks so . . . _not_ a teme in these pictures."

_No matter how much he tried, he couldn't move away from it._

"Naruto!" said Sakura harshly. She didn't want to go into the room. Not with Sasuke like . . ._that!_

_And then it raised its many heads, fangs waiting to tear through his flesh._

"Kaka-sensei!" Naruto continued loudly. "He obviously can't go on this mission! Can't we just –"

_It lunged down at him and –_

"No!"

Sasuke's body immediately jolted upright and he stared around with wild eyes, sweat sliding down from his forehead and onto his bare chest. Noticing that Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were all in his house, his eyes grew wider. "What the _hell_ are you guys doing in my house?" He looked around the room and his eyes rested on the clock. "Jeez! I overslept!"

"You should continue sleeping, Sasuke," said Kakashi. He was curious about the nightmares Sasuke would have.

"No, no! I can _not_ miss this mission!" said Sasuke. He went around the room, clad in only boxer shorts, and began collecting clothes. His equipment was already being poked around with by Naruto. "Dobe, I swear if you've messed around with _anything_ – wait! Get out! What are you doing here?!"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "We were just leaving. We wanted to make sure that something terrible hasn't happened to you. But I suggest you get back to sleep. You've got an extremely high temperature."

Sasuke had already shut himself in his bathroom that was connected to his room. "I told you! I'm not going to miss out on this mission! Besides – I've got the medicine to heal it! I'm almost healed anyway!"

Kakashi smirked at that. The high temperature, the nasally voice, and the way he had stumbled into the bathroom didn't help him much with the convincing part.

"Shikamaru's probably waiting for us right now!" whined Naruto.

"Why's Shikamaru so important?" asked Sakura harshly. She was peeved that Naruto could care about a mission instead of 'her precious Sasuke'.

"He's the team captain! He's the one that's going to lead the mission, and he'll probably leave without me!"

Sasuke emerged seconds later, not looking like he had been asleep moments before. The wrapping around his neck was still there, but the bruise had disappeared. "Let's go," he said hoarsely.

"I'll make a bet with you," said Kakashi coolly as they walked outside of the Uchiha manor. He watched as Sasuke locked the door behind him and pocketed the keys.

"I'm listening," he said.

"Why do you only make bets with Sasuke?!" Naruto barked.

"Baka!"

"Sakura-chan!"

And so began their morning bickering. Sasuke walked with his hands in his pockets, listening to what Kakashi was saying and trying his best to ignore the throbbing in his head.

"If you're carried back to Konoha by any of your comrades for any reason, say, like you were hurt or couldn't stand on your own two feet, then I'll make you work the next four missions single-handedly and the money you make will be given to Naruto and Sakura."

"That seems a little unfair," stated Sasuke with a smirk. "And what if I can stand before you on my own to say that I've won?"

Kakashi tilted his head to the clouds and thought. ". . . I'll teach you a new technique."

Sasuke's smirk only widened. "It can't be an idiotic technique. It has to be something that's powerful and useful, like Chidori."

"If you say so . . ."

"Then I accept."

They stopped briefly to shake hands over this, officially sealing the deal.

Kakashi smiled once again beneath his mask. He didn't want to, but he had doubts that Sasuke would be fine during the mission. There was just something wrong with him. It wasn't that Kakashi had noticed the way Sasuke had been grabbing every flu that walked by him, but it was the way that his ribs had shown when he was on his bed. Which reminded him . . .

"Sasuke," he said, pulling the Uchiha aside for a second. Naruto and Sakura were too deep into their bickering to notice and continued walking in whatever direction they thought was the right way. He looked at Sasuke with a serious expression. "Has something been bothering you?"

"I don't understand," replied Sasuke smoothly. Nonetheless, he didn't make eye contact with his sensei.

"Are you worried about something? Because you haven't been eating correctly."

"How would you know that?"

Kakashi lifted up Sasuke's shirt to show the absence of any weight. It wasn't like before, where Sasuke's chest had been completely buff. Instead, his ribs were slightly poking through his unhealthy-looking skin.

Sasuke jerked away from his sensei and continued walking. He was able to see the spikes from Shikamaru's hair. Neji was there as well. The two were sitting peacefully on the bridge in well-appreciated silence. Unfortunately, the girls were ruining it for them. They were by Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai, chatting away about _something_.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with my eating habits," said Sasuke coldly.

Before Kakashi had the chance to counter, Gai was already waving at him and shouting his name. "Kakashi!" he said. "It seems I am first to this little meeting!"

Kakashi sighed and caught up with everyone at the bridge. Kiba appeared from the trees where he and Akamaru had been practicing more of their dynamic air marking.

Sasuke sat besides Neji and Shikamaru. Shikamaru sighed, adjusting his Chunin vest before going back to staring lazily at the clouds. Neji nodded as a way of saying his greeting. Sasuke returned the nod.

"Now that you're all here," came Tsunade's voice from the start of the bridge, "I can let you go. Get in your groups!"

The boys all sat down where Shikamaru, Neji, and Sasuke were. Shikamaru thought it was "too troublesome" to move from his place. The girls were already piled together, but they quit their incessant chatter.

"Unfortunately, Akimichi Chouji, Aburame Shino, and Rock Lee were unable to make it today –"

"ROCK LEE'S YOUTHFUL SPIRIT WILL STILL BE PUT INTO THIS MISSION!" exclaimed Gai at the mention of his student's name 2. He pumped his fists into the air as an emphasis. The other teachers sweat-dropped.

Tsunade coughed and continued. "But that shouldn't disturb the boys. Girls, you will be heading towards the Wind Country to retrieve the scroll. TenTen will be your team captain 3. Boys, you will be heading towards the Earth Country. Shikamaru will be your team captain. Are there any questions?"

"How do we know where the scroll is?" asked Ino.

"Several of our Konoha spies will be there for your assistance, but once they give you the information they have about the scrolls, you will be all on your own. Is everything clear?"

No one broke the silence. Except . . .

"Ne, ne!" exclaimed Naruto. "If there are undercover ninjas over there, why can't they just bring the scrolls back?!"

TenTen sighed and answered for Tsunade. "Baka, they're _undercover_! They can't leave the area – they need to patrol it. Technically, we're just the messengers."

_"Any more questions?!_" said Tsunade, a vein pulsing in her temple. "Fine then. What's keeping you all? Get going!"

The girls immediately bowed to their teachers and took off, waving to the boys. Shikamaru picked up a large bag from the floor, whispering that to carry the thing was too troublesome, before the boys disappeared as well.

"Tsunade-same," said Kakashi. "If the mission becomes an A-rank . . ."

"I have talked with the captains over this. They will immediately stop everything they are doing and be forced to retreat."

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 All following italics that describe something are part of the nightmare Sasuke is having if you didn't notice.

2 Come on . . . you can _totally_ imagine Gai saying this

3 Why TenTen? It's simple – she's the oldest with more experience. If Shikamaru hadn't been a Chunin, I would've made Neji captain.


	8. Campfire Stories

**Xiao Lu: **Sorry guys! I had a lot of problems at home and some things were taken away (including my labtop), but now I can finally update! Has anyone noticed that the emails and alerts and stuff have been going funny? All my emails just came today. Anyway, please read and review. I really need some feedback on this story because I'm not feeling inspired. If you guys send me positive reviews, it makes me update faster. No, this isn't a joke like most authors tend to do because they want reviews. I want inspiration and that's you! So please, PLEASE review!

I am sooooooooooooo cruel to Sasuke! -laughs maliciously- Wait until a few more chapters - you'll be like "WTF?! Is that even possible?!" I know because I was thinking along the same line. Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian! -squeals- I'm donwloading Episode 11 as we speak!

…**:::Campfire Stories:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto pay Sasuke an unexpected visit in his home after he didn't show up for the meeting on time. They find him with an extremely high fever (and a little unexpected surprise for Sakura and Naruto). Kakashi tells Sasuke that it's best for him not to go on the mission, due to the state he is in, but Sasuke refuses and heads out to the meeting point with them. On their way, Kakashi and Sasuke make a small bet before Kakashi reveals his knowledge of Sasuke's eating habits. Tsunade gives them excess information on the mission and then sends them on their way._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"We won't make the mission in the duration of a day," said Shikamaru. They had stopped by a small lake to rest for lunch. Everyone was gathered by the lake's banks around the large backpack where Shikamaru was pulling out small bags of sandwiches and drinks. "So while the sun's setting, we're going to set up camp. We'll have one patrol at a time."

"According to the area," Neji said, "there's going to be a clearing a few miles away. We'll be able to set up there." He had activated his Byakugan.

Sasuke glanced warily at the food placed out in the middle of them. His eyes trailed over to the wide assortment of drinks and picked up the bottle of water. From his pouch, he pulled out the medicine the old woman had given him and mixed it into the water.

"What the heck is that?" asked Kiba through a mouthful of tuna.

"Medicine," replied Sasuke casually. He took a long sip, relishing the sweet taste. Finally – a medicine that didn't make him gag.

Everyone looked at Naruto questioningly, but Naruto ignored their stares. "I don't care about him."

"Another argument, huh?" said Kiba. "Okay, Sasuke, why do you need the medicine?"

Neji put his hand to Sasuke's forehead while the boy was drinking so that Sasuke wouldn't be able to swat it away. "You have a fever, Uchiha?"

"So what if I do?"

"You came on this mission with a fever? How troublesome . . ."

"Can we just eat and get going?"

"If you pass out on us –"

"I'm not going to pass out," snapped Sasuke. "Just shut up! We don't want to be behind schedule."

"There isn't a schedule –"

Kiba stopped talking from the glare sent by Sasuke. He normally wouldn't have, but he added up all of the facts. Sasuke + Fever + Irritation equals Not Good.

"Here."

Shikamaru tossed a bag of chips to Sasuke.

"I'm not hungry," stated Sasuke simply.

"It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not. You need to eat so that you won't be hungry later. Besides, it'll give you the energy."

"I don't need the energy, and I _know_ I won't be hungry later."

Sasuke tossed the bag of chips back to Shikamaru. But Shikamaru tossed it back.

"Just eat it."

"No."

"I'm the leader."

"That means nothing."

"Eat it."

"No."

"Eat it!"

"No!"

"Damn it! Will you just eat the freaking back of chips! It's not going to do you any harm!"

"NO!"

The bag of chips exploded from the pressure Sasuke was applying to it in his hands. A few chips escaped from the tip of it, which Akamaru happily ate.

"Fine," said Naruto, stealing the bag of chips and putting it back in the pack. "If you starve and die, we'll just label your grave stone: 'Sasuke, the cold bastard that thought chips would give him acne.'"

"I don't care if chips give me acne or not, dobe. I'm just not hungry. Now let's go – the sun will set soon."

"Hey, I'm captain here, so I say when we go," stated Shikamaru. He stared from the calm Neji, to the bored Kiba, to the angry Naruto, and then to the equally enraged Sasuke. "Alright, let's go!"

Bounding through the trees was quite an adventure between Naruto and Kiba. The two were in the back of the squad, shooting questions at each other that only a complete and total moron could answer.

"French fries," answered Kiba.

"Alright, your turn," said Naruto.

"Okay . . . would you rather have the power to shoot milk through your nose, or the power to see through walls?" said Kiba.

"I can already shoot milk through my nose, so I'll go with the X-ray vision!"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Okay, it's my turn. Would you rather be tied to a tree, covered in honey, and then eaten by a bear, or would you rather hang upside down until the blood rushes to your head and _then _you die?" he stated monotonously.

Naruto, not noticing the sarcasm, said, "I don't want to die. Can you ask another question?"

This time, everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Shikamaru, would you rather eat a squirrel, or would you rather eat a mouse?" asked Naruto, switching opponents.

"I'd rather eat your head off," Sasuke replied. His nasally voice had disappeared an hour ago. The medicine was a success.

"I didn't ask you, teme!"

"It's not illegal to state my opinion."

"I've got an idea! How about we play 20 questions?!1" asked Kiba, breaking the argument.

"I'm game," said Naruto.

Shikamaru sighed. "This is so troublesome. I'm bored, so why not?"

"Hn," replied Sasuke.

Neji said nothing.

"Okay, I go first. It's a thing," said Naruto.

"Is it a weapon?" asked Shikamaru.

"No. 19 left."

"Is it something a ninja wears?" asked Kiba.

"No. 18 left."

There was silence before Sasuke asked, "Does it involve ramen?"

"Not everything I say has to involve that, teme! 17 left."

"This is so troublesome . . ."

It went on like that for seven minutes before they were down to five questions.

"Is it a piece of land?"

"Yes. 4 left. This is so easy, guys!"

"Is it a tree?"

"No. 3 left."

"A clearing," stated Neji simply.

Naruto turned his head, staring at the Hyuuga. "Yeah! You got it! How did you know?"

"Baka," Neji whispered beneath his breath. He pointed to the clearing ahead of them. "No, I really mean a clearing. This is the clearing I was talking about. The sun is setting."

"That settles it then," said Shikamaru as he landed. "We'll set up camp here. Sasuke and Naruto, you gather some firewood. Don't go breaking it off the trees, though. Neji, you can help me take the sleeping bags out and put them around. Kiba, you should go to the lake. It's around the bend, according to Neji, and since you have the best fishing skills out of all of us, you should catch nine or ten."

"I'm not going with the teme!" Naruto complained. "He'll probably argue about how I'm picking the wrong size or something!"

"Just shut up and go! Work out your differences while you're searching. You can't stay mad at each other for the entire time!"

Sasuke mentally cursed Shikamaru as he walked deeper into the woods, not caring if Naruto was behind him or not. He was going to get the firewood on his own. Naruto would probably just take a twig, sniff it once, and then say that it was all the wood they needed.

They returned later with two different bundles. The two of them had gone off in different directions and had coincidentally met each other in the same area, so silently, they had decided to head back together. Sasuke's bundle was filled with thick, sturdy pieces of wood. Naruto's was filled with – you guessed it – twigs.

"You went separate ways, didn't you?" asked Kiba with a grin. He was just returning with a pile of flopping fish against his bare chest. Akamaru was trailing his shirt and jacket while his pants were folded until they reached his knees. He was glistening from the sunset with water. "You both have different sizes of sticks."

"Kiba, it's freezing! You'll catch a cold like that. We don't need another Chouji incident," said Shikamaru. He watched Kiba place the now-dead fish on the leaves Neji had set out and tossed him a towel. Kiba muttered his thanks and took his shirt and jacket from Akamaru.

Sasuke was already busy setting up a few sticks to make a fire. The sleeping bags were placed around it in a circular formation and the fish were right beside it.

"Light the fire with this," said Shikamaru. He tossed Sasuke a lighter. "I took it off of Asuma-sensei. It's a waste of chakra to use your techniques."

"Hn."

The fire was set to roar on its own. Naruto used his puny twigs as skewers for the fish, and was about to poke them through their flesh, but Shikamaru smacked him over the head for not disinfecting them first.

"A bear could have peed on it and then a fox could have taken a crap, all on the same stick!" he warned. So he took the courtesy of disinfecting them, and then rested the fish against the well-built fire.

"The first person to wake up and see the sun has to wake up the others as well," stated Neji when they were all settled in their sleeping bags, watching the flames lick the fish.

"We should reach the country by tomorrow night. Once we're there, we'll take a hotel for a night. If there aren't any hotels, then we'll just set up camp again."

Naruto, on his back, touched his stomach. "I hope they have a ramen shop there . . ."

"We should start up a game again," said Kiba.

"As long as it doesn't involve moving. It's too troublesome to move at this time."

"Ghost stories," stated Neji simply. He was sitting Indian-style with his arms crossed over his chest, his pearl eyes watching the fire.

"I didn't think you were the type of guy to suggest such a thing, Hyuuga," said Sasuke with a hint of amusement.

"I've got the best ghost story in the world!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Does it involve foxes?"

"No."

"Does it involve orange?"

"No."

"Does it involve ramen?"

"No. Well, maybe a little bit . . . just hand me the flashlight!"

"What do you need it for?" asked Kiba, handing it to him.

"It gives more of an effect."

"This should be interesting," whispered Neji.

Naruto turned on the flashlight and put it beneath his chin, making him look rather stupid instead of frightening. "One night, with a full moon shining high above their heads, two boys made their way to their house. They were injured and hungry after having just come back from a huge mission. They quietly made their way upstairs –"

"Why would they need to go up the stairs quietly if it was their house?" asked Shikamaru.

"This is my story! Anyway, they quietly went upstairs to the kitchen –"

"Why is the kitchen upstairs?"

"The next person that interrupts me will have their fish eaten by me! _As I was saying!_ They went upstairs to the kitchen to get something to eat. They noticed that the refrigerator was open. Carefully, they walked to it, wondering why it was suddenly open. When they peeked inside . . ."

Kiba leaned forward unconsciously, wanting to know more, Shikamaru had his head buried in his hands so that you couldn't tell if he was asleep or not, Neji had his eyes closed, but was silently praying for a bear to eat Naruto, and Sasuke was inwardly wishing that a meteor would come down in a freak accident and hit him.

". . . All the ramen was gone!"

Shikamaru punched Naruto in the head, confirming that he was awake. Kiba smacked him in the chest. Neji frowned, taking his fish from the fire, and Sasuke said nothing. He knew something like that was bound to happen in one of Naruto's stories.

"Eat your fish like a good little boy," stated Kiba, taking his own. He took another to give to Akamaru, but noticed the small pup was asleep, so he placed it on a leaf.

Sasuke sat back on his sleeping bag after taking a sip from his green tea. However delicious the fish looked, he couldn't take a single bite. What worried him more was that he didn't know the time, so he was unable to tell when his midnight attack would happen. He would need to get away from the area so that no one would hear him scream.

The boys had started up their ghost stories again. Neji was telling a tale about a feminine ghost that haunted the woods after committing suicide for seeing her brother dying right in front of her. He could tell that Naruto was going to wet his pants, but he wasn't paying any interest to it. His stomach gave a low growl and he sighed, turning away from the fire.

"You haven't eaten your fish, Sasuke," said Shikamaru when the story was done. He yawned widely and then snuggled deeper into his sleeping bag.

"I'm not hungry," was the simple reply.

"Liar," said Neji in his calm and collected voice. "I've been watching you closely."

"Hai," declared Shikamaru. "Since we began this mission in the morning, you haven't let a single piece of food touch your mouth."

"I have been eating," said Sasuke. He rattled his bottle of green tea behind his back to show them. He was still facing away from them.

"You know that's not the same as eating," said Kiba.

"If he dies, then so be it. We shouldn't care. People die on missions all the time," commented Naruto. He was still angry at Sasuke.

Sasuke sighed and pulled the cover of his sleeping bag over him. "I'm going to sleep. I believe we decided that Kiba would be the first lookout."

"We'll force-feed you sooner or later, Uchiha," said Neji. "Douse the fire when you want to, Kiba. And wake me up when you start feeling drowsy."

"Alright. Good night," said Kiba. There was the soft sound of scuttling as everyone positioned themselves comfortably in their bags, and soon after, there were the sounds of soft breathing. Sasuke's was amongst them.

**XxXxXxX**

"Tsunade-sama, I want to be a part of the mission. I have healed," said Lee as he entered Tsunade's office. Tsunade herself was seated in front of her desk, having a conversation with Kakashi.

"Lee? What are you doing at this time of the night? You should be back in the hospital!" said Tsunade.

"They dispatched me an hour ago. I have already packed everything I need. Please let me go on the mission with the others. It has only been one day – they should be resting now. I will catch up to them by tomorrow night with my speed."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "Come on, Tsunade-sama. Lee hasn't had the chance to be with the guys for a while now. And he will be a big help to them. If Gai approves it, let him leave."

"But it is dangerous to let him go on his own."

"This is Lee we're talking about."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. "Alright, alright, but only because they're going to need all the help they can get. But if you don't find them by tomorrow night, you are to return immediately, is that understood?"

Lee's face lit up. "Arigato, Tsunade-sama! Arigato, Kakashi-sensei!" he said frantically, bowing. "I will go tell Gai-sensei right away! I promise I will find them!"

With that, Lee left the office, closing the door behind him.

"Do you really think the teams are in that much trouble?" asked Kakashi.

"Why do you think I sent the girls to the Wind Country? Because there are only four of them, I have arranged for Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari to meet them. I do not doubt the girls' strength – they could beat the boys with their combined strength. But this mission is so dangerous that with their number of people, an ambush could be fatal."

"And of the boys?" said Kakashi, raising his visible eyebrow.

"Lee is going to go with them, so they will have six people all together. They also have a Chunin on their team, so they will not be in much trouble. Not only that, but they possess the two geniuses of the years."

"I don't think Sasuke will be of much help."

"And why is that?"

**XxXxXxX**

Sasuke's eyes suddenly opened in the middle of the night. They darted back and forth, checking his surroundings. The pain was going to come – he could feel it. He could feel the cold sweat already begin to drench his body. His seal began to pulse to the rapid beat of his heart.

He spotted Neji sitting on his sleeping bag, whittling something out of an excess branch with his kunai. No, he couldn't have the pain . . . not with Neji still awake. He'd know. They'd all know. But there was no escape.

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 I've seen two different versions of 20 questions. The first is where you ask a person twenty questions about themselves (i.e. what's your name?), but I like this one better.


	9. Falling into Oblivion

**Xiao Lu:** 'Loha! I didn't wanna keep ya'll waiting 'cause of that cliffhanger and everything. I just want to announce now that I'm going to start an awesome story . . . probably one of my best, and it revolves around Naruto, Sasuke, Yondaime, and the Akatsuki. I'm sure everyone will like it once they start reading (my summaries are horrible), so watch out for it! Anyway, thanks for all of the awesome reviews! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

**I'm putting this in bold so you HAVE to read it :)  
If you have put me on your alerts, and you're not reviewing, then be so kind as to take me off of your alerts. I can not believe you can press the button down there for alerts, but not for a review. Thank you very much! I'm sure I'll get a lot of alerts taken off!**

…**:::Falling into Oblivion:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_The boys stop for a rest and eat, but Sasuke drinks his medicine instead. Kiba and Shikamaru nag him about eating, but Sasuke refuses stubbornly. After taking their rest, they head towards the clearing Neji has seen while playing a little game. The game is cut short when sunset arrives, as does their destination, and they set up camp. They settle and tell each other ghost stories, and then continue to nag Sasuke about not eating. Meanwhile, Lee has been dispatched from the hospital and requested to be on the mission with the boys. Tsunade accepts his request, then tells Kakashi how dangerous the mission truly is. Back with the boys, Sasuke is about to suffer another attack. The only problem is . . . Neji's awake!_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Sasuke turned over roughly in his sleeping bag, clutching his sides, and buried his head in his pillow. If he was going to scream, he'd try and muffle it through the pillow.

"Are you awake, Uchiha?" came Neji's voice suddenly. Sasuke thought it better not to answer him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Neji shrug and continue whittling the stick. It had taken the odd shape of some type of bird.

And then it came. The pain. The excruciating pain shot right up his chest, making him clench his teeth in agony. With all his might, he tried to sustain his scream. It was working . . . for the most part.

The mark suddenly gave off a burst of pain, as if teasing him, and Sasuke unwillingly opened his mouth to scream. It came out slightly muffled, but that was the last of his energy. He screamed again, this time more audible.

"Uchiha?" asked Neji. He had put his kunai and carving on the ground beside his bag and was getting ready to stand up.

"Stay away – gah!" warned Sasuke. He arched his back, getting up on his knees, and let out another muffled scream.

"What's going on?" continued Neji. He was now towering over the Uchiha in pain.

"It's going to go away soon – it's okay. Just – ugh – stay away!"

Sasuke saw the shadow of another figure sit up sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "What's all the commotion about?" It was Shikamaru.

"Uchiha's in pain," replied Neji simply, continuing to stare at Sasuke.

Shikamaru walked over to observe Sasuke. "This is serious!" he said, suddenly fully awake.

"No, it's not! It's going to – gah – go – ugh – away soon! Go back to – ah – sleep!" continued Sasuke.

Shikamaru kneeled down beside him. Naruto and Kiba were sleeping like the log-heads they were. "Was it the fish you ate?"

"He didn't eat any fish, remember?" said Neji.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Then what could it be?"

"Byakugan!"

Sasuke's shaking suddenly stopped. His eyes rolled to the back of his head in between a pained outcry and his body fell limp. Shikamaru gingerly turned him over.

"His chakra is normal," stated Neji. His eyes returned to their pear-white state. "Maybe Naruto did something to him when they were collecting wood?"

"Maybe he has a wound on his chest. He was holding it when he was in pain."

Shikamaru slowly lifted up Sasuke's shirt to reveal no mark. There was no wound on his chest. There was only a single difference.

"Was he always this skinny?" asked Shikamaru, tracing his hands over Sasuke's slightly visible ribs.

"Not that I recall."

"Is he turning into an anorexic?"

"Maybe all of his looks got the better of him and he's afraid of getting fat."

"Like Ino. This is so troublesome . . ."

"Uchiha shouldn't have come on this mission with us."

Shikamaru stood back on his feet and looked down. "We'll leave him to rest. Neji, you go to sleep. I'll take patrol now. We won't have Sasuke patrol today."

Neji nodded and sunk into his sleeping bag, putting the kunai back in his pouch along with the bird.

"Oh, and Neji? Don't badger him tomorrow. We don't want you to be unable to continue on the mission."

Neji snorted.

**XxXxXxX**

Naruto's first hint of morning was when the clouds began their dance with the maroon of the sun, creating an image that Naruto had always wanted to paint. It was too bad that he couldn't paint for nuts. He yawned widely before getting up to stretch. The entire duration of his shift had been wasted looking at the Uchiha with several questions and not being able to answer a single one.

"Ne," he said quietly, rubbing his eyes to take away the sleep. "Ne, everyone, wake up!"

He prodded Sasuke lightly with his toe. The Uchiha woke up to a blurred vision of blond. He let out a yawn and sat up. "What time is it?" he asked, trying to erase his weariness.

"How should I know? I'm not a clock," retorted Naruto. He went to wake up Kiba and Akamaru, seeing that Shikamaru and Neji were already awake.

"Had a good sleep, Uchiha?" asked Neji with a slight smirk.

"Better than most," Sasuke retorted coolly.

That had ended the entire 'conversation' about the ruckus last night. Shikamaru didn't want to bring it up again in fear of the conversation that would ensue would lead to a troublesome debate. They had packed their things in silence and left for the trees.

"We can get to another clearing by nightfall and only have a half-day's journey left to go," said Neji after activating his Byakugan.

"Why can't we just continue for the entire time?" asked Naruto.

"Because we won't be able to maneuver correctly through the dark. When we do, we have a higher risk rate of being ambushed because traps won't be as easily seen as in the day," answered Sasuke.

Neji noticed the slight waver in his voice.

"And plus, Uchiha here needs to catch up on his beauty sleep. He's about to collapse in our midst," he retorted sarcastically.

"If you weren't my teammate, I'd kill you."

Neji replied to the threat with a simple smirk. The two knew that it was their form of crude humor.

Bounding through the trees on a mission was never boring if Naruto was on the team. Several hours of stopping and going after they had finished that conversation, Naruto managed to possibly do the most idiotic thing a trained ninja could ever do.

He fell off a tree branch.

"Baka, Naruto!" said Kiba as he watched Naruto fall to the ground. There wasn't another tree branch below it to grab on to. Kiba smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand and Neji shook his head in a pitying way.

"You're a shinobi. It's a tree. There's no _way_ you can fall off," stated Sasuke. He turned around to keep going.

"One day, you're going to fall of, Sasuke-teme. You'll see," retorted Naruto.

Kiba helped him up and Naruto brushed the dirt off of himself before continuing into the trees.

"I'd like to live to see the day," said Sasuke over his shoulder.

"Hey Naruto," Kiba suddenly spoke up. "What's your favorite color?"

Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke raised their eyebrows at the out-of-the-blue question. Naruto, however, didn't seem bothered by it.

"I like orange, but blue's also good. Oh, oh, and yellow! Because yellow is bright, like the sun!"

Kiba grinned and turned to Neji. "What about you, Neji? What's your favorite color?"

"White," Neji replied simply.

"Why?"

"Why are you asking these questions?" said Shikamaru.

"Because they're fun and I'm bored. So, why is it, Neji?"

"Because it's pure."

Kiba frowned at the lack of a proper answer and turned to Sasuke.

"Don't even think about it, Kiba," said Sasuke with his usual smirk.

"Damn . . ." muttered Kiba. "Shikamaru?"

"I think it's too troublesome to pick a favorite color. They're all the same."

"What kind of answer is that?"

Sasuke suddenly stopped on the tree branch he had landed on, watching the retreating backs of his teammates. He lost his footing, slipped, and fell roughly to the ground without a proper landing. Immediately, he felt the cause of his slip-up – intense pain. It was shooting up his legs, coursing through his chest, and prickling his arms.

It took a minute for Shikamaru to notice a missing presence. "Where's Sasuke?" he asked loudly when no one else could sense it. Everyone stopped on the same branch, looking around. They traced their steps to find Sasuke hunched on the ground.

"Ha!" Naruto yelled triumphantly, pointing a finger at Sasuke. "I told you that you'd fall off one day!"

"It looks like the Uchiha needs more sleep than I thought," mumbled Neji, annoyed.

Sasuke didn't answer back. He grasped his sides in pain, wincing and trying with all of his energy not to make a sound.

"Get up, teme," said Naruto when Sasuke gave no reaction.

"I think there's something wrong with him," said Kiba. Akamaru hopped from his chest to sniff around Sasuke's body.

"Uchiha . . .?" asked Neji tentatively.

Sasuke could hold it in no longer. He gave a cry of pain and his screams did not cease.

"Sasuke!" cried Naruto, bending down to inspect him closer. Shikamaru knelt down besides him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to get Sasuke to stop grasping his chest.

"Pain . . ." Sasuke gasped out. "Make . . . it . . . STOP!"

"At least move your hands so we can see!" said Kiba. He reached forward to pry Sasuke's arms from him, but was flung back to hit a tree with one swift kick from the Uchiha. "What the hell did you do that for?!" he demanded, nursing his back.

"Stay away from me!" screamed Sasuke, rising to his knees.

"If you keep this up, we'll send you back!" yelled Neji in anger.

"We can't," said Shikamaru. "We need to complete this missi –"

_WHAM!_

Shikamaru was sent flying to hit another tree. Blood trickled from his mouth as he tried to stand up again.

"What the hell?" said Naruto. "Sasuke! Stop hurting everyone!"

Sasuke stood up, all etches of pain erased from his face, and slapped Naruto . . . hard. The seizure that the poison's book had explained was happening in reality – to Sasuke. Sasuke was now unconscious on the inside.

"TEME!"  
"Naruto, stop," said Neji calmly. He had his Byakugan activated and was staring at Sasuke.

"His chakra . . . is yellow.

"What?" said Kiba, helping Shikamaru up.

Sasuke sent a punch Naruto's way, but Naruto dodged it.

"There are certain times when your chakra turns different colors. When it's purple, it means you're being possessed."

Shikamaru dodged a shuriken aimed for his head. Sasuke went after Neji next, but Neji swiftly kicked him and pinned him to the ground.

"Let go!" screamed Sasuke. After struggling for a few seconds, he spat in Neji's face.

"It's taking all of my energy to not beat him to a bloody pulp," stated Neji, wiping the spit off of his face with his upper arm.

"And when your chakra turns green," continued Shikamaru, walking over to Sasuke, "it means you're poisoned. However, when your chakra is yellow, it means that you're being possessed, but the real you is still alive on the inside." 1

Shikamaru leaned down next to Sasuke. With two fingers, he aimed for a vital point and hit Sasuke directly in the crook of his neck. The struggling Uchiha stopped his attempts almost immediately and went limp. "Didn't Kakashi-sensei check him before going on this mission?"

"He told Sasuke that he should stay in bed, but he was too stubborn to refuse," said Naruto quietly.

"We can't go back, either," said Neji. "We're too far ahead to quit and go back for his sake."

Shikamaru sat down and wiped the blood from his mouth, inspecting it absentmindedly. "He's got quite a punch . . ." he murmured to himself.

"The sun's going to go down. The clearing is near. We should set up camp there," said Neji, checking the sky and then the forest.

"All in favor of not carrying him, raise your hand," stated Shikamaru. He looked around to see everyone's hand up, except Naruto's. He was too busy poking at Sasuke softly through his shirt to see what everyone else was doing.

"Thanks for volunteering, Naruto," said Kiba with a grin.

Naruto turned around with his usual blank face. "Volunteering for what?"

"Carrying Sasuke of course!"

"There is_ no_ way I'm carrying _him!"_ Naruto immediately retorted, getting up.

"We raised our hands fair and square. It wasn't our faults that you decided to go poking around the Uchiha," said Neji.

Naruto scowled and murmured obscenities under his breath as he placed one arm under Sasuke's head and the other beneath his knees. "He's _heavy!"_ he whined as he lifted him, taking to the trees after the others.

"Deal with it!"

_'Actually, he's lighter that I thought he's supposed it be,'_ thought Naruto. _'Is that legal?'_ He looked closer at the Uchiha for better inspection. His cheeks were beginning to hollow and the darkness beneath his eyes was becoming even clearer. _'Has he been eating __**anything**__ at all?!'_

"Naruto, you can put him down now."

A voice rang through Naruto's thoughts suddenly. He looked around in confusion. "What?"

"We're here," said Kiba blandly. "Or would you like to keep carrying your lover for a few more miles, you gay wad?" he said with a grin.

"I am _not_ gay!" said Naruto in an outcry, throwing the Uchiha on the ground roughly.

"Sure you're not."

If Naruto hadn't been so worn out from the entire day's worth of running, he would have beaten Kiba down to the mutt he thought he was. But seeing as he could barely move his legs another inch, he collapsed onto the sleeping bag Shikamaru had laid out for him to rest on.

"Kiba's first on patrol this time," said Neji, settling into his own bag.

"Remember, if there's anything suspicious, wake us up immediately." Shikamaru was taking Sasuke out of the uncomfortable position that Naruto had thrown him into and was rolling him into his sleeping bag.

"Good night." 2

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1 Yeah, I pretty much made this up for the sake of my story, so don't go and kill me for gaining false information. I know it's not right.

2 Forgive me if I don't mention Akamaru as much.


	10. Cowardice Fails

**Xiao Lu:** 'Loha ya'll! Sorry, sorry, sooooooo sorry! I've had a lot of troubles, I have to study for my algebra test, I have to practice my song for the graduation . . . it's all piling on top of itself and it's causing me to go crazy! Anyway, here's the chapter! I think this is a little more action-filled. Please excuse my horrible attempt to try and write an action scene - I need to work on that more. So anyway, here's the chapter! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

**It's funny how I say that those who don't review should take me off of their alerts, and yet I just got three new alerts added! Am I hallucinating?**

**Sonnengott: **You're probably the longest reviewer! No, the IR thing is gone (with little to no positive results). Sorry to keep you up til midnight! (-insert maniacle laugh here-) and you're the first to complete all of the riddles! And that Mandarin thing, yeah, I am learning Mandarin, but I just started, so I only got a tidbit of what you wrote. You said: Zai Jian, bie fangqi, ni xie de tebie hao! I got: Bye, (something, something), you write (de doesn't matter in the sentence, then something) good! LOL! Thanks . . . I think?

**...:::Cowardice Fails:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Unable to fight it off, Sasuke had another episode of pain at the stroke of midnight, only to awaken both Neji and Shikamaru. The two previously said began to worry secretly about him. Awakening in the morning, Sasuke had fallen off of a tree branch later because of a seizure mentioned in the book. He fights off everyone as they try to come closer to him, but it's Shikamaru who manages to knock him out. The chapter comes to a close when they set up camp once again, contemplating on Sasuke's sudden anorexia._

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Shikamaru rubbed his eyes sleepily and stood up from his sitting position. The sky was slightly lighter than before, but Naruto still needed to do his patrolling. He was about to go and wake him up when the air was filled with a presence. No, not just one . . . _many._

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"Ambush!" he shouted, alerting Neji. He sat up straight, his eyes darting around to take what was going on before he activated his Byakugan.

"Wake up, you idiots!" he shouted to Naruto and Kiba. Akamaru awoke and tugged on Kiba's ear. Shikamaru had to kick Naruto to wake him up.

"There are six people!" said Neji, throwing the covers off of him. "Uchiha! Wake up!"

"What's going on?" asked Naruto wearily. A kunai sailed towards him, hitting him in the shoulder. He hissed in pain and finally became aware of his surroundings. "We're being attacked?!"

"No, Naruto, we're just throwing kunais at each other for the hell of it!" retorted Kiba.

"Well then stop it!"

Kiba smacked himself in the head with the palm of his hand. "We're being attacked, baka!"

"Then why the hell is Sasuke-teme sleeping on the job?"

The shinobi that had been attacking them from before finally landed from the trees, completely surrounding the younger boys. Their forehead protectors reflected off of the light from the moon, showing that they were ninjas of the Rock Village.

"Sasuke!" urged Shikamaru. "Sasuke, wake up!" When Sasuke didn't respond, Shikamaru sighed heavily and bent down to check his pulse. He was still alive, just unresponsive.

"We got word that you were coming for the scroll," said one unusually large Rock shinobi.

"So you came here to stop us?" asked Kiba. "You've made a mistake."

"What are a few little kids like you going to do to stop us?" The shinobi then let out a group laugh. They stopped in unison, as though it was rehearsed, and then went into a fighting stance.

"Neji, can you finish them off easy for us? We're in a rush," said Shikamaru.

"Why does Neji get all of the fun?" whined Naruto.

"We want to get out of this mess quick, and since Sasuke is out cold, Neji's attack is the quickest to knock them out without losing too much chakra!"

Neji nodded his head, stepping forward.

"Not so fast, squirt," said another Rock shinobi. He appeared to be the leader. He did a quick flurry of hand seals, surprising the Konoha ninja, and then launched both of his hands to the ground. _"Doton: Retsudotensh__ō__ no jutsu!"_ 1

The ground beneath the Konoha ninja immediately began to spiral inwards, capturing their feet.

"That should do," said the leader, clapping his hands in triumph as though he was rubbing excess dirt off of them. "We'll just be taking this –"

"Please!" rang a voice. "Do not touch my friends, or I will be forced to assault you!"

In a quick succession, a blur of green came from the trees to hit the leader in the chin, jerking his head back and putting him in shock. There, in all his glorified might, stood Rock Lee. He had put a stop to the jutsu that had been spiraling the Konoha ninja into the ground moments ago.

"Lee!" said Shikamaru, trying to pry his feet from the ground.

"You should be resting in the hospital!" exclaimed Neji, doing the same.

Lee arched his foot and feigned a kick to the leader's head, but then punched him swiftly in the gut, causing the leader to double over in pain. "I came here on a request from Tsunade-sama," he said, sending another kick to the leader. "Leave here and I will harm you no longer!"

He kicked the leader once more, sending him flying into a nearby tree. The other Rock shinobi took one look at Lee and pulled out all of their weapons that they could fit in two hands. "You shouldn't kick him around like that," one threatened, advancing towards them.

_"Tsuuga!"_

Everyone turned around to see the newly-freed Kiba spiraling towards one of the shinobi. He knocked him clean off of his feet, twisting him into the ground. When the smoke had cleared, Kiba grinned. He had been triumphant.

"Beneath you!" shouted Neji, still trying to free his legs and arms.

Kiba didn't look down quick enough. The rock shattered and a hand emerged from its depths, grabbing Kiba's leg and launching him into a nearby tree.

"I'm a Rock shinobi," said the ninja. "You shouldn't underestimate me."

"Well then, you shouldn't underestimate me," teased Kiba, reaching into his pouch. He pulled out a single pill, tossing it in the air before shouting, "Akamaru!"

The pup caught the pill in his mouth and there was a pause as everyone watched his fur lengthen and turn crimson. Kiba bent down and did a hand seal. "Let's go, Akamaru!" Akamaru hopped onto his back. He was baring his teeth and snarling at the ninja. _"Gijyuu Ninpou: Jyuujin Bunshin!"_

An exact replica of Kiba took place of Akamaru, snarling and baring his teeth. Together, the two jumped in the air, screaming, _"Gatsuuga!"_

Two gray spirals surrounded two Rock shinobi before going in for the kill. Despite the desperate attempts of the Rock shinobi, Kiba had strengthened his skills enough to knock the two of them unconscious.

"Good job, Kiba!" yelled Shikamaru. He had gotten himself free from the area. Neji, however, was too deep into the ground for him to get out alone. His hands were buried by his sides, discontinuing any use of his jutsus. Naruto had his arms free and was tugging stubbornly at his legs.

"Three down, three to go," growled Kiba, looking around hungrily. He was just getting started.

"The next two are mine!" said Lee, immediately jumping into action with his leg outstretched in the air.

"Not if I can help it," said one of the remaining shinobi. He made a move to create seals, but his eyes suddenly opened wide. "Nani?" he said, surprised. "I can't move!"

Shikamaru smirked. "_Kage Mane_ is a success."

He was leaning backwards with his hands in his pockets. To the Rock shinobi's surprise, as well as the other two, they had their hands in their pockets.

"Yosh!" cried Lee, continuing his kicking streak. He sent a combo of powerful kicks and punches at one of the immobilized shinobi in the head, causing him to fly back with immense power. Unfortunately, Shikamaru flew back to hit into Naruto, toppling both to the ground, but then sending Shikamaru into a tree with a sickening crack 2. Naruto had just managed to free his legs.

"Baka, Lee!" shouted Neji from his paralyzed state. "When you hit them, you hit Shikamaru as well!"

"Ah! Gomen! Gomen! I didn't know!" said Lee frantically.

The _Kage Mane_ was disconnected and the Genins turned to their leader, finding him unconscious.

"Great, now we've got another person unconscious and two enemies left. Naruto, Kiba, Lee, you have to finish them off quickly."

"Hai!" the three replied in unison, turning to the remaining two.

"You may have taken out most of our troop, and our leader, but you're still not match for us now that _your_ leader is unconscious," taunted one of the shinobi.

"We don't depend on our leader as much as you do," said Kiba with a sneer. "We're not as dense."

"You won't be saying that after we've beaten you to bloody pulps beside your friend over there."

"Who are you calling stupid?!"

"You!"

From behind, Naruto had stealthily hidden his chakra, as well as four other clones', in order to make a sneak attack. One of his clones flung himself at the shinobi and landed a powerful punch on his jaw. The clone bent down, allowing the real Naruto to jump into the air by spring boarding from his back.

"U –"

The other remaining clones bent down low and supported themselves on the ground with one hand. The first kick was sent.

"Zu –"

Another kick.

"Ma –"

The last kick was blown and the shinobi sailed into the air.

"Ki!"

Finally, the real Naruto landed a combo kick onto the head of the shinobi.

"Naruto Rendan!"

With that, the shinobi descended towards the ground at an alarming speed. He hit the earth with a loud _thud _and did not get up. Naruto landed, smiling.

"That just leaves one," said Lee. He turned to the supposedly remaining one, but he was nowhere in sight. Neji activated his Byakugan, searching for him.

"He's running away, the coward," he confirmed. "Now can someone get me out of this thing?"

Akamaru returned to his original form. With his and Kiba's help, Neji was freed from the ground. He examined his surroundings first, making sure of a few things. "The country isn't far from here. We should get there in two hours – one and a half if we go at top speed. There are no more enemies within my line of sight," he declared. But upon staring around the camp, he found everything scattered across the area or buried inside of the ground, including a certain Uchiha. "Kiba," he said, "take Uchiha out from the ground as I check on Shikamaru."

"Hai."

Neji walked closer to Shikamaru. The Chunin had blood trickling from his mouth after hitting a strong oak. Upon impact, the tree had cracked and was bent awkwardly to the left. Neji kneeled next to Shikamaru to check his pulse.

"How is he?" asked Lee, afraid that he might have killed Shikamaru. He had not known that when Shikamaru attached himself to another person, he would really _attach_ himself. He only thought that Shikamaru could move.

Neji's eyes opened wide in shock. "You went full out, didn't you?" When Lee nodded his head, he said, "You know your kicks are fatal."

"He's not dead, is he?" asked Naruto.

"No, but his breathing is irregular. It doesn't help that the same thing happened to him when the Uchiha was unconscious. This is serious. We have to get him to a medical area as soon as possible," said Neji. He adjusted Shikamaru before turning back to everyone. Kiba and Akamaru had dug out the Uchiha from deep within the ground where he had gone unnoticed. Thankfully, his breathing had returned to normal. "The girls are lucky they have Sakura's medical skills on the team."

After picking up and packing their things, they headed off once again. Lee was carrying the bag this time, with Neji and Naruto bearing the weights of Shikamaru and Sasuke. Neji, upon further inspection, had declared that a few of Shikamaru's ribs had broken. Lee would not stop with the apologies.

"There it is," said Kiba after a while. "Iwagakure."

"We'd better hurry," exclaimed Neji with sudden alertness. "Shikamaru's pulse is getting weaker!"

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1 Hehe . . . I forgot what that was called. You can look it up on Wikipedia, though.

2 I am so confused about this. When Shikamaru was visiting Naruto in the hospital and they encountered Gaara, Shikamaru got hit as well when Naruto slapped Gaara. He said that when someone hit the person he was restraining, he would get hit as well. However, when he was battling Fuujin and Raijin with Ino and Chouji, Chouji managed to hold and squeeze the two criminals without Shikamaru getting hurt himself. So for the sake of this story, I'm going with the first thing.


	11. Journey Beyond the Settlement

**Xiao Lu:** Hey all. I thought updating today would make me happy, but it made me even more depressed than I already am. I cried a lot today (and I haven't cried for a year) because two of my favorite teachers that I look up to for my problems are leaving the school next year. They were my two favorite! As in, I love no one else like them! They're my second parents. And they're leaving and I happened to be in both classes that they wanted to tell to first (Ms. Connie, I was in her band class and I'm on the soccer team for Mr. Cory - whom he wanted to tell fisrt), so I feel really bad. REALLY bad. And nothing's helping. And I feel like ranting, but I can't, or else you'll all think I'm one of those shitty emo kids that cut themselves. I feel really bad - someone just hit me over the head or something because I can't stop crying. I'm crying as I write this now. So I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. I'm not in the mood to reply to reviews, but thank you for them anyway. Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian.

**If it seems I'm a little perkier at the bottom with my side notes, it's because I write the notes with the chapters and this chapter was prewritten.**

…**:::Journey Beyond the Settlement:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Early in the chapter, Shikamaru senses several unwanted presences. It turns out that Rock shinobi planned an ambush. The Genins and Shikamaru prepare for battle, but Sasuke is still unconscious. Lee makes an unexpected (and flashy) entry and manages to knock down some shinobi. With Neji still stuck with no way to move, Kiba and Akamaru knock out their share of enemies, followed by Naruto with his original (sort of) combo_ 1. _Unfortunately, Lee's knowledge of Shikamaru's jutsu is little. He knocks one of the shinobi unconscious while he is in Shikamaru's Kage Mane and in the process, he injures Shikamaru deeply. The team is now at Iwagakure's gates . . . and Shikamaru's pulse is getting weaker!_

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Iwagakure looked like a miniature version of Konoha, except there were several stone monuments here and there. The buildings weren't as crowded as Konoha's streets, but there were more people occupying them.

"It looks like there's some sort of convention," said Lee as they walked through the streets. People gave them odd stares and a few glares because of their headbands and the fact that they were carrying two beat-up, unconscious boys. Kiba glared right back, with Akamaru barking at his heels.

"We're going to drop Shikamaru off at a hospital and then we're going to find a hotel," said Neji. He had taken charge since Shikamaru was unable to.

"Shouldn't we drop off Sasuke-kun?" asked Lee.

"His injuries aren't that serious," said Neji. _'Or are they?'_

The hospital of Iwagakure was around the corner. They had asked a local for directions. It was similar to Konoha's hospital, but it was smaller since the village wasn't as large. They went up to the front desk where a woman in white was shuffling through files.

"We need a room for Nara Shikamaru," said Neji. She nodded and called two of the nurses to take him for inspection. "When will he be dispatched?"

"You'll have to check up on him later," the nurse replied.

Neji nodded and ushered for the rest to leave.

"Okay, so now we've got to find ourselves an apartment," said Naruto when they were back outside. It was around mid-afternoon and the sun was hiding behind the clouds. Naruto shifted Sasuke in his arms to get into a more comfortable position.

Several people kept bumping into Kiba, enraging him. He whined about how everyone else wasn't getting pushed around and said that the next person that did, he would sic Akamaru on them. Naruto constantly whined at how his stomach kept grumbling. Lee was gazing around, speaking of how youthful the people were.

Annoyed, Neji rubbed his temples. If one more person whined about how annoying people were, or about how their stomachs were empty, or about how _**sporks**__ were__** youthful**_ 2he would kill the lot of them and tell Tsunade that they had died in a freak meteor accident! 3

"Finally! A hotel!" pointed Kiba. "My feet are _aching!"_

Everyone turned around to the spot Kiba had pointed to and saw an average hotel. They wouldn't get anything too expensive because of their limited amount of money, and they would only be staying for a short amount of time. Neji shrugged and decided to take up the first offer they had. They entered on the polished wooden floors.

"A room for six, please," said Lee.

"How many days?" said the person at the main desk. His glasses hung low on his face when he looked over them to see the boys.

"We'll be paying by the day."

"Room 23."

Lee took the keys from the man and they slowly made their ways to the said room. They were all tired and dragging their feet from the latest fight. Lee inserted the key into the keyhole and opened the door.

"I don't want any fighting over who gets which bed. My headache's already big enough. We will rest for today and then continue the mission tomorrow since Shikamaru is the only one with the mission knowledge," said Neji.

A millisecond after he had finished speaking, Kiba and Naruto had already run through the hotel and into the single large bedroom. Naruto threw Sasuke ungraciously onto a bed in the corner as he and Kiba brawled over the one next to the window.

"Naruto! Kiba! What did I say?" screamed Neji, enraged. "There are _three_ beds near _three _windows! Pick one!"

"But this one has more light on it!" Kiba whined.

"The other two are strange!" added Naruto.

"The inside of your head is about to have more light shining onto it if you two don't be quiet!"

Naruto and Kiba cowered beneath Neji's threat and death glare. They finally resolved their issues with 'Rock, Paper, Scissors', resulting with Kiba taking the other bed. Lee took the one besides Kiba, taking up the last that had a window. Neji sat on the one besides Sasuke, knowing that he was the one that talked the least. That left Shikamaru with the one next to Neji and nearest to the door.

Finally taking a look around the room, everyone noticed that it was possibly the cleanest one they had ever seen in a hotel. The walls were a baby blue without any cracks or blemishes whatsoever. The beds were in threes – three had their backs against the right wall with the windows, and the other three had their backs against the left wall facing the others.

"You shouldn't have him sit like that," said Lee. "He might sprain something."

Naruto looked over at where he had thrown Sasuke unceremoniously onto the bed to see both his arms beneath his back and his leg bent in an uncomfortable way. He sighed and walked over to him, straightening him out.

"So who knows how to cook anything edible?" asked Kiba, grinning from his position on his bed. He was sleeping with his hands behind his head.

Lee and Neji raised their hands.

"Don't eat Lee's food," said Neji with the closest thing to a smile he had ever given 4. "It's not edible."

"My food is very youthful!" cried Lee.

"Um . . . I'm with Neji," said Kiba. He stroked Akamaru's fur absentmindedly.

"Then how about we eat something!" said Naruto.

Kiba pointed to the large bag they had taken with them. "You're an idiot. There was food in there all along."

"Then why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"Because it was fun!"

Neji sighed and stood up. "I'm going to buy some food from a supermarket and then check up on Shikamaru. Make sure you don't light something on fire. I'm leaving you in charge of that, Lee." 5

Before anyone had the chance to protest, Neji was out the door.

"There's a living room that we could all go into, you know," said Lee.

"Then what am I doing here?" said Kiba.

"There's no TV, if that's what you're going to look for after the food."

Kiba grumbled and walked out of the room, saying something about looking for jerky.

"So, Lee, what's the plan?" asked Naruto, dressing into his pajamas. He pulled out his panda hat and stuck it on top of his head after taking his forehead protector off.

"Naruto-kun, it's not time for bed yet," said Lee. "The sun is just setting."

"I know, but I'm so tired I could sleep in the shower."

"There is no plan for now. It is our valued break time. Besides, Shikamaru is in the hospital."

There was a rustling on the bed in the corner and Lee and Naruto averted their gazes to it. Sasuke was moving slowly, opening one eye and then the other. He gazed at the ceiling before looking around to spot Naruto and Lee.

"Where are we?" he asked wearily.

"Sasuke-kun! You're awake! We're in a hotel."

Kiba entered the room after hearing the name. "What the hell took you so long to wake up?!" he exclaimed.

"Why? What happened?"

"We were ambushed."

"Ambushed? By who?"

"By Rock shinobi."

"Lee? When did you get here?"

"During the ambush."

"How can I miss so much in a few minutes?"

"More like a lot of hours. You were out cold since last night."

"It's morning?"

"Does that look like the moon to you? It's the afternoon."

"Stop the questions!" shouted an angry Naruto.

Sasuke sat up wearily. His hands shook as he used them to support himself.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" asked Lee. "You don't look like your normal youthful self."

"Where are Shikamaru and Neji?" Sasuke asked, ignoring the question.

Kiba grinned. "Thanks to Spandex over here, Shikamaru's in the hospital with some broken ribs. During the ambush, he had used his _Kage Mane_ on a few shinobi and Lee went full out on one of them. He didn't know that he was hitting Shikamaru as well. And Neji went out to check on him and get a few supplies."

Sasuke nodded and then lay back on the bed.

"Don't tell me you're going to sleep!" said Naruto incredulously.

"Shut up, dobe! Being unconscious isn't the same thing as being asleep!" retorted Sasuke with his eyes closed. He began thinking about the poison and where he should go in the hotel so that no one would hear him scream during the nights.

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

Neji came back some time later with two bags of supplies and news on Shikamaru. Their leader would be dispatched in the morning. He was in the hospital with three broken ribs and a slight fracture to his skull and was unconscious when Neji had arrived. He promised to make dinner.

At the dinner table, Neji had whipped up a quick batch of sweet and sour chicken with the side of rice and vegetables. It was healthy, to say the least.

"Where the heck did you learn how to cook?" asked Kiba, sniffing the food gingerly.

"That information shouldn't concern you," replied Neji. He smirked slightly at the thought.

Naruto sniffed it like Kiba had done before chewing thoughtfully. His eyes opened wide and he grinned. He shoved the chicken hungrily into his mouth. "This is actually edible!" he said after swallowing.

"Of course it's edible! Neji-kun doesn't want to kill us!" said Lee.

"Not yet, anyway," mumbled Kiba with a grin. He received a smack over the head for the crude joke.

"Right after this, we're going to get an early night's sleep. We want to be ready when we continue the mission tomorrow," said Neji. He had already finished his food and was washing the plates in the sink. "I'm also not your maid, so everyone will clean their own plates."

Naruto practically had to be carried to bed by Kiba when they had finished their meals. Neji was long asleep and Lee was dressed up in his pajamas. He actually looked quite normal to be wearing _baggy_ clothing instead of his usual spandex.

The second the lights were out, everyone's breathing became even.

Except one's.

Sasuke's eyes darted back and forth. He slowly turned sideways to glance at the clock.

_11:50._

Leisurely, Sasuke swung his legs over the side of the bed and got off, making sure to ease on the springs so they wouldn't creek. His shoes were still on his feet, but they helped him stealthily get to the bathroom where he locked the door.

"Just ten more minutes," he told himself repeatedly. "Just ten more minutes."

He took off his shoes and undressed himself into only his boxer shorts. Right after the pain would go away, he would make a beeline for his bed where he would try and get some sleep. He sat on the cold tiled floor and prepared a gag for himself. It was one of the armbands he wore. He carefully positioned it into his mouth, leaned his head back onto the edge of the tub, and waited.

And then it came.

The gag was helping for the most part. His screams came out in muffles as he looked at his stomach. The snake was moving once more. Its head was now two centimeters out of his navel and slightly wider than before. Its glow and Sasuke's blurred vision created a sort of dream-like world sight, as if the happening was all surreal.

He bit down harder onto the gag as the pain became more intense and he grabbed at his sides, doubling over. In a matter of seconds, it stopped.

_'Move!'_ he told himself. He didn't want to fall unconscious in the _locked_ bathroom. His vision was going in and out and he was sure that he was going to pass out any moment. Quickly, he gathered up his things and fumbled with the lock on the door. He swung it open, not caring on whether it banged or not, and headed straight for his bed.

Unluckily, he fell to the floor at the edge of his bed, motionless.

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 Oh come on, practically all of you who've watched Naruto from the beginning should know why I said this. Naruto's combo is just a copy of Sasuke's, except with his clones. So it's not really his original move.

2 Don't tell me you're not laughing! It took me five minutes to stop laughing at this! I got this from a _hilarious_ GIF I found on the internet (GIF is a small moving picture). It has a cartoon Gai and Lee in sumo wrestler underwear. Gai is holding a spork and the first slide says "They spork is youthful, can I get a 'yosh'?!" 6 And then it switches to the next slide, where Lee says "Yosh!" If you want it, give me your email and I'll send it to you. It's HILARIOUS!

3 Sound familiar? Sasuke said something similar to it a while back when Naruto was telling his ghost story.

4 I think I've seen Neji smile before, but seriously . . . has anyone ever seen Sasuke smile? Don't tell me he has (except when he was younger – Itachi laughed, too!). My brother told me he smiled all the time. I smacked him over the head for that one. Those aren't smiles, people – they're smirks. (Sighs) I wish Sasuke would smile . . .

5 Wow, there are a lot of footnotes, aren't there? Anyway, I needed to put that fire part in. One of my two favorite teachers, Mr. Cory, always leaves me in charge of the classroom. He's always like "Waffles (he calls me by my nickname)", I'm leaving you in charge here. If something catches on fire, even if it was Youssef over there (he's like the class clown, except Mr. Cory's so cool that he enjoys it when people make jokes and stuff . . . he makes the jokes in the first place), I'm going to use your backpack to put it out. And if that doesn't work, I'll feed you to the fire." Then he gives a CHEERY WAVE and walks out! Mr. Cory, you ROCK! (He's my Earth Science teacher, which is why I used "Rock").

6 Yosh means Alright (I use it all the time in my classes and my teachers look at me like I've said that I have hairy eyeballs)


	12. Conferences

**Xiao Lu:** Hey all! Sorry about the sorta late update, but it's just that my computer has been shutting off every five minutes lately. It still is, so I've only got a few minutes to write this. Anyway, I feel so loved! Thank you for your reviews! I got 9 in the last chapter!!! I'll be replying to them today (or soon if my computer lets me), so look out for them! Thank you all once again! Yay! Now I've got to go and stop this. It'll shut off in a bit! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

**Look out for my review replies in your email inboxes! However, those with short reviews like "Please update!" are appreciated, but there will be nothing to reply to. Sorry!**

…**:::Conferences:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_After discarding Shikamaru at the hospital (and getting Neji annoyed with pointless topics, such as youthful sporks, the Genins managed to acquire themselves an apartment room for the day. Kiba and Naruto, of course, fought for the beds. Neji ended the small argument with his infamous death glare and he left to buy ingredients, as well as to get Shikamaru's diagnosis. Sasuke wakes up, only to try and go back to sleep after getting updated information, and Neji arrives shortly after that. They eat one of his delicious meals before heading off to bed. There's only one problem: Sasuke fell unconscious in the middle of the room after another episode of pain. . . clad in only his boxer shorts!_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

There were _cold_ hands touching him.

"Why is he like that?"

"Like what?"

"You can see his bones."

"He's not eating properly."

"He's probably anorexic."

"But he wasn't that way before."

"People change."

"Didn't we have this conversation before?"

"How'd he get here?"

"When did he change?"

"He's in his boxers, for Kami-sama's sake!"

"Maybe he was masturbating?"

"Baka!" _Slap._

"Sasuke doesn't do those kinds of things . . . or does he?"

Sasuke groaned, still feeling the effects of the pain on him. Someone's ice cold hands were running up and down his chest, counting his ribs. It was creeping the hell out of him. He finally opened his eyes slightly to find Kiba and Neji touching him.

"Yamaro," he said wearily 1.

"What the heck were you doing on the floor?" asked Kiba.

"I was sleeping," replied Sasuke casually. He sat in an upright position and realized he was still on the floor.

"I'm going to pick up Shikamaru," announced Neji. "I've already made breakfast."

"Arigato, Neji-kun," said Lee. They watched Neji leave before turning back to Sasuke. It had just occurred to Sasuke that everyone, besides Neji of course, was still in their pajamas.

"So what were you really doing down there, teme?" said Naruto. He had completely forgotten about their feud.

"I said I was sleeping. Can't a guy sleep?"

"With boxers in winter?"

"I was too tired to change into my pajamas."

"I'm hungry," Naruto announced unexpectedly. "I want to see what Neji made for breakfast."

Sasuke groaned once more when everyone left. He wanted to enjoy the wonders of food, but he knew he couldn't. After getting dressed he entered the kitchen slowly to find everyone sitting at the table. Neji had prepared a sort of oatmeal with a fruit salad on the side and a large pitcher of orange juice in the middle. Sasuke took a glass from the table and filled it with orange juice.

"Aren't you going to eat something, Sasuke-kun?" asked Lee.

"Nope."

"And why not?" asked Kiba. He gave Akamaru a strawberry from his fruit salad.

"Because I'm not hungry."

Naruto and Kiba rolled their eyes at this.

"There's something up with you, teme, and we're going to find out what it is."

**XxXxXxX**

"Shikamaru?" asked Neji, entering the room.

Shikamaru was sitting on the bed, putting on his sandals. He looked up when Neji came in.

"Ah," he said, straightening, "I thought you would never come. They weren't going to release me if you didn't."

"How are you?"

Shikamaru lifted up the dark green T-shirt he had donned for the winter beneath his Chunin vest instead of his usual fishnet. They revealed heavy bandages on his entire chest.

"That Lee has got the best taijutsu in all of Konoha," commented Shikamaru. He stood up and winced slightly. "I just wish he wouldn't use it on me."

"I've got something to discuss with you while we walk back to the hotel."

"Oh? You've got a hotel room? I thought you set up camp somewhere."

Shikamaru hopped off of the bed and followed Neji outside.

"Ah, I sent a message to Tsunade-sama telling her about the mission stats. She replied that she would send the undercover ninjas any time now. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"The Uchiha."

Shikamaru frowned. "Did he wake up yet?"

"Yesterday afternoon. However, I think we should inform Kakashi-sensei about his behavior on this mission. I doubt he knows what is going on."

Shikamaru groaned and closed his eyes as they walked. "He's beginning to get troublesome, isn't he? He's broodier than usual. I agree. But for now, we should focus on the mission. Besides, the undercover ninjas are going to come by and I don't want anyone messing up our conference with them. This mission is vital."

Neji opened the door to the hotel with the spare key he had acquired and met silence. Shikamaru looked at him and shrugged. They entered quietly, on high alerts. Silence wasn't something they usually met on a mission with Kiba and Naruto.

They found the source of the silence, however. In the living room, Kiba, Naruto, Lee, and Sasuke were sitting on the long couch. Each one had their arms crossed over their chests and seemed to gaze unblinkingly at the other three men ahead of them. One of the men wore a sort of bandana that flattened his chocolate hair over his face, covering one eye. He had both his arms and legs crossed and was staring with a smirk at Sasuke and Kiba. The other had wild dark hair that was spiked at the ends to outline his grinning face. A thin white cloth covered his nose and the upper part of his cheeks. He was seated in the same position as his comrade, but his gaze was on Naruto and Lee. The last had a forehead protector similar to the first, but his was tied from the front and the silver metal of the band was on the back. His brown hair was also similar to the first, but his outlined his pale face. A senbon needle was placed between his teeth. He was thoughtfully chewing on it, keeping his gaze at the ceiling with his elbows behind him, on top of the couch.

"Kotetsu-sensei," said Shikamaru upon entry. "Izumo-sensei. Genma-sensei."

The two Chunin and single Jounin finally tore their gazes away from the boys and the ceiling. "Ah, Shikamaru," said Izumo. "You're just in time to see us win our staring contest!"

"Why is it so silent in here?" asked Neji.

"The boys were just keeping an eye on us," said Kotetsu. He stood up, along with Izumo and Genma, and shook Shikamaru and Neji's hands.

"But Lee-san obviously recognized us. Unfortunately, Kiba-san and Sasuke-san didn't believe it was the real us, so they convinced everyone to take care after you came back," inquired Genma.

Shikamaru and Neji sat in the armchairs besides the boys.

"I assume you have the information?" asked Shikamaru.

"Hai. It is written here on this scroll. All of the information is within this. We must be hurrying, however, before the Jounin of this village find out that we're Konoha shinobi," said Izumo.

"Tsunade-sama tells us that due to the stats, this mission is still C-ranked. However, we're going to be keeping a further eye on you when you reach the whereabouts of the scroll," continued Genma.

Shikamaru nodded at the information and took the scroll Kotetsu handed to him. The three shinobi stood to leave. They bowed and said "Sayonara" in unison before leaving out the door.

"So what does the scroll say, Shikamaru?" asked Naruto.

"I'll read it over while I'm getting some breakfast," said Shikamaru lazily. He walked into the kitchen to find Neji's prepared meal and began eating from it.

**XxXxXxX**

"According to the scroll, our destination is the eighth tree to the right of the gates when we exit from them. We need to pull down the first branch."

The Konoha ninjas were at the edge of the town, where Iwagakure's gates stood high and mighty. Shikamaru was leading them, telling them the contents of the scroll as they moved.

When they approached the eighth tree, Shikamaru continued. "The scroll is in a special chamber. We must go forward one chamber, then right three chambers, then left two. If we head into any wrong one, there will be instant decapitating traps. Not only that, but the scroll is guarded with several heavy-duty traps. They're unknown, however."

Shikamaru quietly began thinking of his tactic. When he was finished, he picked up a stick and walked over to a patch of clear dirt.

"Everyone, I'm going to tell you our tactic," he said. "We're going to stay in this position for the entire time, until we get to the scroll room."

He first drew a circle in the dirt. With the stick, he pointed to Kiba. "Although I'm the leader, Kiba and Akamaru are going to be the first in line. With their keen eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell, they can immediately sense the traps." He drew another circle behind him. "Sasuke, you will go next. If Kiba's sense goes awry, your Sharingan will back us up. You will be our front eyes in the group and will sense the oncoming enemies." Another circle was drawn to accompany the recent one. "When he senses something, he's going to tell me so that I can access the situation carefully. I will also have full control on the group from this position. Once I have a plan, I'll be able to give hand signals to the people behind. Next will be Lee. Your excellent taijutsu skills will be helpful with both the people in front of you and the people behind you. When one of them is in danger, you will be their aid. Your speed also assures that you will not hold anyone back."

Behind Lee's circle, he drew another. "Naruto, you are another one of our aiding members. With your _Kage Bunshin_, you will be able to assist even Lee. You can also raise the odds against us with clones. The last of us is Neji." He drew the final circle in the dirt. "Your three-hundred-sixty degree vision allows you to see the enemies behind us. You will tell Naruto when you do, so that he will use his replication technique. Naruto, one of your replicates must alert me, however. Does everyone have the plan?"

Shikamaru put the stick down and smudged the dirt with his foot. After getting reassuring nods, he turned to the tree and pulled the first branch down. The tree shook, it shivered, and it grumbled. In its mahogany bark, an opening big enough for an average human being to squirm through opened.

Sasuke fit through it with ease, immediately activating his Sharingan. 2

"Everything's clear," they heard his muffled voice from within.

With a reassuring nod, Shikamaru pushed everyone else through. Surprisingly, the entrance did not shut behind them. It poured light into the small rectangular room that they were currently positioned in. There was nothing special about it – the walls were made of cement and painted gray. As a matter-of-fact, if the room had turned upside down, no one would be able to tell the difference.

"As soon as we head through the door," started Shikamaru, pointing to the metal door ahead of them, "we're going to get in our formation."

He walked over to it and placed his hand on it. "Is everyone ready?"

An ominous silence washed over the area. Shikamaru slowly opened the door and allowed Kiba and Akamaru through first, followed by Sasuke. He held back for a while to get the signal.

"There's still nothing over here," came Sasuke's voice once again.

"Remember the plan," Shikamaru whispered to those remaining in the room before heading out.

The second he did, a hand thrust him down.

"Look out!"

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 The ever-so-simple-yet-effective "Stop".

2 I know that Kiba and Akamaru were supposed to go first, but I wanted to put an emphasis on how skinny Sasuke had gotten to be.


	13. Surprise Inside

**Xiao Lu:** 'Loha! Sorry ya'll. This is prolly the longest I've ever stayed away from the net. My laptop was on the fritz and would not go on the internet AT ALL and then here I am, roughly two weeks later, realizing that I have a desktop in the house with full access. So I just popped in my USB and here I am with the next chapter!

A lot went on this week, including Pie Day. For those of you who don't know, my school raises money for charity by creating Bake Sales, Pizza Sales, but there's always Pie Day. It's like a raffle and you get to put dibs up for a teacher you wanna pie! So I put dibs up for my favorite teacher ('side Mr. Cory), Ms. Connie (my awesome band teacher) and I WON! I got to pie her in the face! Booya! Sorry . . . Got carried away in the moment.

**Be careful next week 'cause I might not update for a while. I've got exams and on that count, I've got a soccer game every day of the week starting Sunday. So Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!**

**This is prolly the most-unrealistic chapter ever for its violence. You will see why.**

…**:::Surprise Inside:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Let the questioning commence. It took quite a lot of short-answered sentences and glares from Sasuke to get everyone to stop questioning him about why he was suddenly found on the floor. Neji left once again to retrieve Shikamaru. The two had a short conversation about the recent ongoing with Sasuke and the mission before they headed back to find the ones left in the living room having a staring contest with Izumo, Kotetsu, and Genma. They received the scroll of information and headed to the tree branch as the first thing. However, when they entered inside (after getting the plan from Shikamaru), there was already an alert when someone screamed the following words:_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Look out!"

Shikamaru was pushed down roughly to hit the cold concrete. He heard someone take a sharp intake of breath and turned around to see Kiba grasping his arm. Blood soaked his heavy jacket and leaked through his fingers. Several kunai fell to the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" exclaimed Naruto. He had watched the quick flurry of kunais. "Teme, I thought you said that everything was clear!"

Sasuke had minor shock on his face. "My Sharingan couldn't detect the trap," he said. He had spoken more to himself than to everyone.

"My senses didn't work either," added Kiba. He took off his jacket and tied it around his waist as he searched for bandages in his pouch.

"Arigato, Kiba," said Shikamaru. He got up and dusted himself off. "We're going to have to be careful around here. It looks like whoever was in charge of this place did a good job at concealing their traps. Kiba, you're doing it wrong."

Shikamaru helped Kiba wrap his arm with the bandage. The gash wasn't deep, but it wasn't shallow either. Akamaru whimpered helplessly at Kiba's side. "We've got to be careful. We can't let another incident like this happen again."

After securing the bandage, Kiba put his jacket back on. "This little cut isn't going to stop me," he commented as he turned around to lead again. Everyone gradually fit back into their line of tactic.

"It's one chamber forward," said Shikamaru, "then three to the right, and then two to the left."

No matter which direction they turned, everything looked the same. The halls were exactly the same length apart; the walls were the exact same shade with the exact same length, height, width, and look. There wasn't a single blemish or defacement on their surfaces.

"Two to the left," Shikamaru whispered. He kept a wary eye out for any traps hidden in the shadows.

"Shikamaru-kun, why weren't there any more traps?" asked Lee. They had reached their designated door. There wasn't a single difference from the one they were standing in front of to the others around them.

Shikamaru made his way to the top of the line. "They want us to lower our guard. Although we had them raised, they would expect us to lower them when we realize that there were no more traps. _However_, things are only going to get worse behind this door."

"Hurry it up already!" said Naruto impatiently.

"Baka, Naruto!" shouted Kiba, smacking him a good one across the head.

"Leave him," interrupted Neji. "He will be the first to die. Good ridden."

Naruto shot a death glare at him, but Neji stood still with indifference.

"As I was saying, the rank of this mission could go up to a B with whatever traps are in here. We get in, get the scroll, and get the hell out of there, got it?"

Nods.

Shikamaru took a deep intake of breath before opening the door. Slowly, he peered inside.

"Sasuke," he said, "come check if there are any detectable traps."

Sasuke nodded and walked forward. Activating his Sharingan, he took two looks around the room. There was nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing that was different in the rectangular room from the other rectangular room was that this had the scroll locked within it. It was lying on a table behind thick steel bars. The bars were a room of their own. The door to the room, however, was unlocked.

"Nothing that I can detect," he said reassuringly.

"Kiba?"

Kiba shook his head. "It's the same with me."

Shikamaru nodded and ushered everyone into the room. "Neji, was there anyone following us?"

Neji gave a simple head shake.

"You'd think they'd put more protection on this area, huh?" said Naruto. He put his head behind his hands and walked forward. The second Neji, the last person, stepped into the room, the door swung shut behind them. It barred shut.

"That wasn't unexpected," muttered Lee.

"But those were."

Sasuke was pointing to the front of the room, in front of the barred cell. Six figures had materialized from nowhere. They weren't normal human either. Lee didn't even want to _call_ them human. Sure, they looked like samurais, but there was something wrong. All six of them were pearly white and ice blue in color. It was like giving a gray scale to a picture, but using only the two mentioned colors. And what appeared to be strange was their ghostly aura. They glowed faintly.

"Look at their weapons!" said Kiba, heading towards one. Akamaru was at his heels. He was going to test out if it was some sort of genjustsu or if it was the real deal.

"Kiba, no!"

The figures each held a variety of weapons. One held a mace attached to a long chain, another held an Arabian sword, there was also a spiked whip, a samurai sword, and the last two were all for head-to-head combat.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru. They're not real," said Kiba. He ran towards one and spiked a punch. His hand, however, went through the figure's head to hit the metal bars. "See?"

One of them swung his mace, making Kiba duck.

"Why are you ducking if they're not real?" Naruto teased.

"Precaution."

As soon as Kiba ducked, another launched his samurai sword at his feet, making him jump. But a third was on guard and thrust his whip at Kiba's jumping body. It caught Kiba off-guard. An anguished cry echoed through the chamber.

"Kiba!" the ninja shouted in unison. ". . . Neji!"

Neji had tried to push Kiba away from the spiked rope, but he ended up getting tangled with it. He and Kiba had been pinned to the bars of the cells, the spikes of the whip digging into their skin. It went through Neji's front and sides and through Kiba's back and arms. Blood spread throughout Neji's cream shirt and Kiba's jacket, soaking them. Kiba's canine teeth were clenched behind Neji's full head of hair. "I can't . . . I can't move!"

Neji activated his Byakugan through his pain to stare at the surroundings. His eyes opened wide in shock.

"The enemies are made entirely out of chakra! Their weapons steal chakra upon impact! We're losing ours quickly," he reported.

Shikamaru cursed beneath his breath. "We need to take the enemies out," he said. "Is there anything besides chakra?"

"They appear to have a black weak point where their hearts should be. If it is hit directly, it may do the job."

Neji's eyes drooped slightly. He could already feel the effect of the weapons upon him.

Shikamaru cursed once again at their fallen teammates. Kiba began screaming hysterically in his anguish, with Akamaru barking wildly. Neji's moans gradually became louder.

"Well then, we'll just have to hit them in that spot!" said Naruto. He unthinkingly launched himself at the nearest figurine. It easily dodged him and swung with his Arabian sword. Naruto, however, quickly evaded the decapitation and landed on the side.

"Naruto, we have to make a plan first!" shouted Shikamaru. He rubbed his temples, thinking of the situation quickly. Closing his eyes, he thought of his first moves.

"No! Shikamaru, don't –"

And then came darkness.

"Shit, shit, _shit!"_ screamed Naruto. "Shikamaru, how could you be so careless?!" he screamed at the unconscious form of their leader.

"He wasn't careless," said Sasuke. "Even though they are moving chakra, they are impossible to detect."

Shikamaru had suffered a mace to his stomach, puncturing his chest twice. The mace swung around once again to trap the Chunin in its chain. He was now in the corner in a bloody heap.

"Naruto, use your _Kage Bunshin_ to create a diversion!" said Neji in his last attempts to stay conscious. His breaths were shortening. Kiba had lost it, though. His head had lolled to his shoulder.

Naruto nodded. He placed his two fingers together. _"Kage Bunshin no –"_

_WHAM!_

He suddenly saw stars as he was sent flying across the room to hit into the wall. Blood spurt from his mouth when he opened it to give a cry of pain.

"This mission is now B-rank!" screamed Sasuke. He was gradually losing it. "Lee! Grab the scroll! These monsters can not be defeated with taijutsu alone!"

Lee nodded. Unfortunately for the team, the figure that was all for head-to-head combat stood in his way.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan once again and went to help Lee out. "While I keep him occupied, get the scroll," he said. He dodged a quick succession of punches from one and returned it with a swift kick to the head. His eyes opened wide with shock. His leg had completely gone through!

"Now, Lee! Get the scroll _now!"_

Lee entered the caged room to swipe the scroll that lay on the wooden table.

Pain suddenly jolted up Sasuke's stomach, causing him to double over. Fortunately, he had avoided a clout to the head. Unfortunately, he dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.

"Uchiha!"

Sasuke turned around to be met in the shoulder with the samurai sword. It dug through his flesh until he felt it hit his bone. The pain seared and flared until he gave a scream that could defeat the scariest of banshees. He grasped his wound tightly, watching the blood seep through his fingers.

"This is just great!" Neji screamed at the top of his lungs. He shook his head, trying to get the weakness away from his mind.

"I've got it!" cried Lee in triumph. "I've got the scroll!"

The bars were instantly released at this. The second Lee had taken the scroll from its table, the bars had risen into their resting areas and the door was flung open. The figures, however, remained as menacing as ever. Naruto was still dodging the attacks of one. Three were guarding Neji, Kiba and Shikamaru, and the other two were advancing on Lee.

With his hyper speed, Lee made it over to the door in a millisecond. Sasuke was looking at the people in the room, frantically trying to decide what to do. He didn't know why he was getting so out of character. He was supposed to be the _calm_ one, but the cranks in his head were turning faster than Lee's legs could move.

"Go!" Sasuke managed to cry out. "Naruto, Lee, just leave. Take Akamaru with you. You've got the scroll. Go and I'll release them!"

Naruto and Lee stared back at him with a look that clearly stated _'Are you crazy?!'_ Sasuke nodded his head, wincing. "I'll be fine," he said. Fine was the understatement of the millennium. Pain wouldn't stop searing through his body, and he was pretty sure his arm would fall off any second.

"Are you sure, Sasuke?" asked Naruto, his mouth turning into a frown. His eyes widened slightly at something he was thinking about.

"Leave, damn it!"

Naruto nodded in understanding. He turned his back on the room, pushing his own reluctant thoughts aside as he and Lee left. He turned once again to pick up the struggling and howling Akamaru. From outside, Sasuke could hear Naruto trying to calm himself down.

Sasuke knew Naruto trusted him. After several years of bickering, they had built that secret fort of trust. And now Sasuke had a decision to make. Die and create an invisible mob to bring the fort down, or do as he promised and build another wall to stabilize the fort.

Letting out a quivering sigh, he stood to face the remaining monsters and teammates. Neji's face had paled incredibly after finally losing consciousness, but he had a touch of blue in his complexion 1. Kiba was deathly ashen. Blood dripped _everywhere!_

_'Don't be dead . . . don't be dead!'_ thought Sasuke as he lifted himself to his feet. He looked over to Shikamaru. The leader of the mission was not only bleeding from a fresh wound to the skull, but he was also bleeding from the holes the mace had made in his stomach. He was pale as well. He wondered how quick the weapons took the chakra from them.

One monster launched himself at Sasuke with his samurai sword dripping with Sasuke's blood. Sasuke barely managed to avoid it. He watched as small strands of his hair fell to the floor.

The pain was becoming even more intense as he watched the monsters double-team on him. He was elbowed in the back, kicked in the stomach, then kneed in the chin. He was sure he had broken a rib and by the intense agony in his jaw, he guessed it was fractured.

"S-S-Sasuke," came a quiet voice. Sasuke turned his head in Shikamaru's direction. The Chunin was turning his head slowly. Blood dribbled from his mouth.

Sasuke would have replied to him, assured him that he had the situation was under control, but it hurt to talk. He knew he was fighting a losing battle.

"K-kill one and the others will, _cough,_ disappear." Shikamaru tried to wriggle through his chains, but stopped when he realized he couldn't move a finger.

Sasuke moved shakily to avoid another sword. He stumbled forward, still grasping his right shoulder, and pulled a kunai from his pouch. Within the scroll given to Shikamaru, it must have mentioned _something_ about the monsters, which was where Shikamaru had acquired his information from.

He lunged blindly forward, only to be met by the wall. He was sick and tired of the game these monsters were playing with him. He lunged once again, activating his Sharingan this time. He was able to see the black spot Neji had described at the beginning. With one swipe with the kunai, he missed narrowly.

_'One more time!'_ he thought. One last time had done the trick. He had aimed the kunai straight through the blackness of the monster, achieving his goal.

_SHWIP!_

Pain. More than he had ever experienced before. It tore through his abdomen, rising to his head. Turning behind him, he saw a dematerializing monster grin. He had launched his samurai sword through his chest before disappearing. The samurai sword stuck there, though. It did not disappear.

Sasuke was beginning to see his vision blur.

"Shikamaru," he wheezed through his teeth.

It was no use. The Chunin had fallen back into a state of unconsciousness.

Sasuke trekked slowly to Neji and Kiba. The rope was still around them, still digging into their skin. With a simple kunai, Sasuke cut through the binds to release their bloody bodies. They fell to the floor limply. Sasuke fisted Kiba's jacket hood and the back of Neji's shirt in the same hand and dragged their bodies across the floor with his last remaining energy. On the way to the door, he grabbed hold of Shikamaru's chains. Now he was dragging three bodies.

"Lee . . ." he tried to scream as he stumbled through the dark halls. " D-Dobe?"

There wasn't a single reply but the echoes of his footsteps. He almost collapsed then and there, out of fatigue, blood loss, and chakra depletion. It was way too much for him to handle at the moment.

"Uchiha!"

Sasuke looked up at the unfamiliar voice that called out his surname. Heavy footsteps came, then a spiked head appeared. For a moment, he thought it had been another Shikamaru. But as the figure came closer, he realized it was Kotetsu.

"W-what are you doing here?" he wheezed, doubling over slightly.

Kotetsu took one look at him and his eyes opened wide in shock. "Holy Kami-sama!" he exclaimed. "You look worse than Genma!"

"What happened?"

Kotetsu took Kiba and Neji and tossed him over his shoulders, then took Shikamaru and tucked him under his arm. It was a silly sight to see, and Sasuke would have smirked at Neji's stance, had it not been for the serious situation. Sasuke was left to drag his own feet. "We were exposed," he said. "The shinobi of Iwagakure found out we were trying to take their scroll and ganged up on us. Genma was left to fight off twenty. Izumo and I had to leave to find everyone because of Genma's orders."

Sasuke stumbled and was about to fall forward, but caught himself at the last minute. The samurai sword was still shoved through his abdomen and his vision wasn't clearing either.

"We have a shorter path back to Konoha that will only take us an hour. Tsunade-sama discovered it yesterday and sent it to us for our use."

"Where . . . Lee . . . others . . .?" was all Sasuke could manage to gasp out.

He heard Kotetsu mutter, "Oh shit, I've got to hurry," before answering, "They're okay. They're outside in a special field in the forest where I've stationed Izumo and Genma. The second we reach them, we're going to travel straight back to Konoha to give you guys medical treatment."

Sasuke returned the statement with a series of violent, blood-spurting coughs.

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

1 If any of you know what it means when someone's complexion turns blue, then try and fit some pieces together to find out what's going to happen. If you don't know . . . you'll find out anyway.


	14. I Won

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto . . . Orochimaru would have boobs.

**Author's Note:** You guys are going to frickin' kill me. I'm so serious that it's not funny. Seriously. I am having a horrible episode right now. I'm assuming you all want an explanation as to why I haven't updated for such a long time.

I hate myself.

No, that's not the explanation. I just hate myself for being such a frickin' retard. As an author, I take it into my duty to supply my readers with a chapter every week. It's been what . . . over a month? Possibly more? I absolutely hate myself. I feel like shit for letting you all down. I really don't know if anyone is left to read or review.

Seriously.

And finally, today, I got my laptop back. For the past month and a half, it has been going from Egypt to Alex to Sharm to wherever the hell the Devil lives, just trying to be fixed. It turns out that the fan broke and it caused my computer to overheat and shut down whenever I tried to open it. So my uncle, the computer scientist, tried to fix it.

Coming back from quite a long day, I found my laptop sitting on my bed, just begging for me to open it. Do you know how much of a dedicated author I am? The only reason I wanted my stinkin' laptop back was so I could update. I was so worried over all my documents. And so I opened it, and I put every single document I had on a disk for safe keeping (just incase), and prepared to update . . .

. . . until it shut off.

I was like, no problem. I can do this. Calm down. It happens all the time, right? So I did it again, and again, and again, and it shut off on me. So now I'm pissed. But LUCKILY I had the extra disk, so here I am, on a shitty computer, begging for your forgiveness. PLEASE forgive me. I seriously feel absolutely HORRIBLE for letting you all down. If I was the type of person to do it, I'd cry.

And just to bribe you (ha, like that'll work) a little more, I am placing two chapters up, because I feel that you've deserved the long wait. So sorry that this rant was long. Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

R.G. Waffles.

Read and Review . . . if you're still there . . .

…**:::I Won:::…**

**READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE!!!!**

**IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT!!!!**

**SERIOUSLY!!! PLEASE READ IT FOR AN EXPLANATION!!!**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_The quest begins. Kiba saves Shikamaru from a fatal attack of kunai. The team learns that the entire place is rigged with undetectable things. As they venture through, high on their guards, the worst comes when they enter the dungeon and the door slams behind them. Several chakra-made enemies appear, undetectable and lethal. The team can not hit them, but they can hit back. Neji and Kiba are the first to be taken out with a weapon, followed by Shikamaru. Lee manages to snag the scroll, but Sasuke needs to keep the ghosts occupied in order for a safe escape. He tells Naruto and Lee to leave with Akamaru while he takes the rest. Finally managing to kill the enemies after a tip from Shikamaru, Sasuke gets a samurai embedded into his abdomen as he drags Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba out of the dungeon and into the aid of Kotetsu, who has just shown up._

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Kotetsu quickly led Sasuke to the field where Akamaru, Naruto, Lee, and Izumo had their backs turned so that they overlooked the unconscious Jounin. Upon sensing their arrival, the three Konoha ninja turned. Naruto and Lee gasped. Izumo's visible eye grew wide.

"What in the world . . ."

"Sasuke-kun, what . . ."

"Teme . . ."

Sasuke stumbled forward once more, his hand gripping the samurai sword. He was gulping down a few breaths, getting ready to take it out.

"No," Kotetsu interrupted. "Leave it in until you are in the hospital. If you take it out now, it will definitely get infected." [1

Forgetting the feud completely and remembering the conversation in the dungeon, Naruto walked towards Sasuke, his eyes wide. He examined the Uchiha before sighing and putting one of Sasuke's arms around his neck.

"What are you doing, dobe?" Sasuke asked through gritted teeth.

"That's no way to talk to your savior," Naruto answered with a slight grin. Sasuke noticed there was a slash across his face and his eye had been growing a large shiner. Two of his fingers on his left hand had been bent awkwardly – a fact for sure that they had been broken.

He shut his mouth, leaning heavily into Naruto's support. He didn't want to. He would rather die than admit that he needed aid, but now that he was actually near death, he would rather take the aid. Naruto helped him walk a few steps forward as a test.

Kotetsu had given Neji to Lee so that he would have better handling on Kiba and Shikamaru. Izumo picked up Genma gingerly. Kotetsu nodded towards everyone. "Ready?" he asked, positioning himself for a leap into the trees.

"Ready," Naruto and Izumo replied.

"Ready, Kotetsu-sensei!" said Lee energetically. He had come out unscathed except for the slight cut through his green jumpsuit. Speed does a Genin wonders.

They leaped into the trees, following Kotetsu. The route was definitely much shorter than the one they had taken earlier. Kotetsu had definitely memorized it with intensity.

As they journeyed onward, Sasuke found himself leaning more and more onto Naruto. His eyes began to droop.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Naruto warily, noticing the change in weight.

Sasuke didn't bother to answer that. He finally lost all of the feeling in his body, leaning completely onto Naruto for his support.

"Sasuke?" asked Naruto, shifting his weight. "Sasuke? At least do something to let me know you're still alive."

Sasuke gave a long, low moan of pain.

Naruto stopped for a few seconds to pick up Sasuke wedding-style, making sure the samurai sword embedded into his abdomen was upright. He decided it was much easier than practically ripping Sasuke's uninjured arm from its socket.

A few minutes away from Konoha, Sasuke felt his chest tighten. He turned his head away from Naruto's chest and coughed severely, spattering Naruto's arm with blood. "Holy shit!" he heard the blond say.

"N-N-Naruto . . ." Sasuke gasped out, closing his eyes in agony. "I can't . . . I can't breathe!"

Naruto's face suddenly became alarmed. "Are you kidding me?!" he exclaimed.

Sasuke shook his head. His lungs felt like they were shriveling up, which made his breaths start to come out in heaves between his teeth. With every breath, his chest rose up and down wildly.

"Kotetsu-sensei!" Naruto called out frantically.

"We're almost at Konoha, Naruto-san," replied Kotetsu without looking in Naruto's direction.

"No! Sasuke-teme isn't breathing correctly!"

With the silence that had fallen over the forests because of the night that had reached them, everyone was able to hear Sasuke's loud wheezing.

"Hold on, Sasuke-san!" Izumo said in the same alarm Naruto had gotten. "I can see the gates of Konoha!"

And so he could. Naruto could see them as well. Through the darkness of the night, lanterns glowed brightly. Their lights cast five human shadows across the ground from four figures that had waited upon their arrival.

"There they are!" came a familiar voice. "Their youthfulness has returned!"

"Gai-sensei!" Lee called out.

In a series of footsteps, the ninjas landed on the ground in front of the gates. Behind them stood Tsunade, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai. But at the appearance of the ninjas, they couldn't hide their gasps.

"Kiba!" shouted Kurenai, immediately running to her limp student. Kotetsu heaved him off of his shoulder.

"Shikamaru!" said Asuma in shock. "Dear God, that the hell did they do to you?!"

"Neji! Where has your youthfulness gone?!" cried Gai, inspecting the Hyuuga.

Tsunade immediately began screaming orders.

"Asuma! Kakashi! Gai! Kurenai! Kotetsu! Izumo! Take the injured and send them to the hospital _immediately!"_ she screamed. "They're dying from blood loss!"

"Naruto," Sasuke heaved, his breathing still awry. "Put me down."

"But –"

"Just put me down."

Naruto complied, setting Sasuke on his feet. As the other Jounin and Chunin were running at Tsunade's orders, Kakashi stood to watch Sasuke. Sasuke stumbled towards him, his eyes heavily lidded and blood soaking his shirt. His head was down as he heaved in and out.

_'What the hell did they do out there?'_ thought Kakashi as he stared at the multiple wounds Sasuke had.

Sasuke reached Kakashi and managed a small grin through his fractured jaw. Wheezing harder, he managed to gasp out two words:

"I . . . won . . ."

He took a sharp intake of breath, closed his eyes, and fell forward. Kakashi caught him in his arms, being careful of the sword. He slid one hand beneath the boy's legs and the other beneath the middle of his back and carried him away to the hospital after the other Jounin and Chunin, his mind racing with questions.

Naruto and Lee were in tow. They only had a few scratches on themselves that they could take care of, and Naruto had managed to wrap his broken fingers in a makeshift bandage, but Tsunade said that they were to come to the hospital as well.

"Tsunade-sama," inquired Lee as they were running towards the hospital. "The mission was a success."

Lee pulled out the scroll from his pouch and held it up for Tsunade to see. She smiled.

"Excellent work, men," she said. "The girls are still on their mission. Would one of you mind explaining what happened?"

Naruto began and ended the story by the time they reached the hospitals. Kurenai was going absolutely hectic. She was barking orders at the medic-nins, screaming at how Kiba had severe chakra depletion and that he could die at any minute. Asuma was slightly calmer, but he was still as loud as Kurenai was being. Gai had his dramatic tears leaking from his eyes as he kept inspecting Neji. Kakashi was the calmest out of all of them. He handed Sasuke over to three medic-nins and told them the basic diagnosis. He knew Sasuke was strong and would hold up.

Everyone, even Genma, was sent to an emergency ward. Kakashi leaned his head back against the cool wall after sitting down, forgetting his book for now. _'It looks like he won the bet,'_ he thought to himself. [2

Kurenai was seated beside him. Her eyes were round as she looked at the blood that had stained her attire. Asuma was smoking one cigarette after the other – a nervous habit of his.

Tsunade had disappeared into the emergency wards, leaving complete and total silence.

"Kaka-sensei," Naruto said in a sad whisper. He was sitting at the foot of Kakashi's chair with his knees drawnHer up to his stomach.

"Hai, Naruto," said Kakashi quietly, his eyes still closed.

"Is everyone . . . is everyone going to be okay?"

Lee raised his head at this. He knew the crisis at hand. Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba were suffering from severe chakra depletion due to the weapons they had been bound with. Sasuke was on the edge of his deathbed with serious wounds. Tsunade had checked all three of their chakras. Sasuke had nothing wrong with his, which was bizarrely strange. _Something_ had to have gone wrong. However, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba had about an ounce left in them. [3

"Yes, Naruto. They're going to be okay," replied Kakashi. He was trying to reassure himself, though. The more he thought about it, the more he doubted himself.

"They're not going to die, right?" continued Naruto.

Kakashi's head perked up and he stared at the orange mass at his feet. "Stop being pessimistic. You finished the mission, everyone made it out alive, everything is going to be alright."

"Did you know," started Kurenai, trying to steady her hands, "that the mission turned into an A-rank mission?"

Naruto's ears perked.

"If it hadn't been for Kotetsu, Izumo, and Genma, you would have all been in that emergency room."

Naruto stood up, his face turned away from everyone, and muttered something about going to the bathroom.

_'That kid's got a really sensitive side,'_ thought Kakashi as he watched the orange jumpsuit disappear.

Tsunade had come back a while later before Naruto had the chance to come back. Blood soaked the front of her shirt and pants. She wasn't smiling, either, which was always a bad sign. She had told everyone to come tomorrow morning, where she would give a proper diagnosis.

"Naruto," Kakashi had called when the boy came back into the hospital. Kakashi had just been leaving. "You should get some sleep. We'll visit the hospital in the morning. I have to wait for the girls to return."

"Why can't I just stay in the hospital?" asked Naruto stubbornly.

"Because it's unhealthy. Now scoot."

Naruto complied, too tired to resist. He let Kakashi push him out the door and then waved goodbye. Kakashi sighed, heading the opposite way with Kurenai, Gai, and Asuma. Lee had gone his separate way.

The girls were coming through the gates in the night. The Sand siblings were nowhere to be seen. Ino had Sakura's limp hand around her shoulder. The pink-haired kunoichi was unconscious. TenTen's arm was bandaged, but other than that, everyone was completely fine.

"How was the mission?" asked Kurenai. She put her hands on Hinata's shoulders and smiled.

"It was a success," said Ino.

"Let me take her off of your hands," said Kakashi. He lifted Sakura into his arms.

"Her chakra was slightly depleted after healing us from one of our fights, but it's nothing bad. She just passed out from fatigue," explained TenTen. "And Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro left us on our own after the mission was completed."

"Did the boys come back?" asked Hinata quietly. [4

Silence.

"What's wrong?" asked Ino. "Did something happen to them?"

"We'll tell you on our ways back. Right now, we must rest. You have all had a long mission," said Kurenai. The girls nodded, more obedient than the boys, and headed off with their respective sensei.

Kakashi turned, Sakura still in his hands, and sighed. "Maybe it's best if she finds out for herself," he said quietly.

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[1 Yeah, I know the samurai sword is strange, but it's needed for the next chapter happenings. And that's true – he _did_ need to keep it in because especially in the winter, it could get infected immediately.

[2 Do you think something's suspicious about this? This is further explained . . . in the last chapter!

[3 You'd think that with severe chakra depletion, Sasuke would have died because of the poison, right? Wrong. You'll see in the next chapter.

[4 Why do people _always_ make Hinata stutter? She doesn't do it 24/7 – she only does it when Naruto is around. Watch closely next time she talks – she won't do it.


	15. Diary of a Sad Blond Ninja

…**:::Diary of a Sad Blond Ninja [1:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Desperately trying to save everyone, the ones that were left conscious raced to Konoha where the Jounin and Tsunade were waiting. There was a frantic scuttle as those waiting tried to see what was wrong and what had happened. Sasuke managed to stand on his own two feet, standing in front of Kakashi, and won the bet. Immediately after that, everyone was taken to the hospital. After several hours of waiting, Tsunade came out bloodied. She was unable to give a proper diagnosis and said that she would in the morning. The Jounin went to greet the girls, who had a successful mission, and the chapter left off from there._

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No one had forgotten the incident the day before. Everyone had shown at the hospital so early in the morning that the sun was just beginning to peak behind the mountains in the distance. Even Chouji and Shino, who had been absent during the mission, were there. They had gotten word about their teammates.

And now they were waiting for Tsunade's diagnosis.

Tsunade had gone to interrogate Kotetsu, Izumo and Genma on their side of the story. Genma was the first to wake up, but he would have to stay in the hospital for another day due to a slight concussion and major wounds turned into minor ones.

Naruto was twiddling his thumbs beside Kakashi and Sakura (Sakura had helped him properly bandage his broken fingers) when he heard the familiar _click clack_ of heels on the tiled floor. Everyone's heads turned to stare at the hallway in unison – an immediate reflex. Tsunade's face appeared from the shadows.

And she looked grim.

"Are they going to be okay?" Sakura asked first. She had heard the news from Naruto when he had come knocking on her door in the morning.

Tsunade sighed and sat down in an empty seat in front of everyone's waiting eyes. She looked at the clipboard in her hand. "All four of them will have a long stay in the hospital," she began. "Nara Shikamaru's diagnosis: he has a concussion from a fracture in his skull, as well as two deep wounds to his abdomen. They missed his vital organs by inches, but I had to repair part of his chakra system. As for his chakra depletion, it will take a while for his body to recover all of it, even with the replenishment I gave. He will be in a state of unconsciousness for four days at max."

Asuma let out a quivering sigh, running one hand through his hair. He took out another cigarette – his possible thirty-sixth since last night – and put it in his mouth.

"Inuzuka Kiba's diagnosis: Neji stopped him from receiving any major wounds from what I had been told by Lee. The only wounds he suffered were several gashes along his arms that will be healed in a day or two. His chakra depletion is as bad as Shikamaru's, however. He will be in a state of unconsciousness for four days at _minimum_."

Kurenai's eyes widened slightly and she turned to stare at the floor.

"Kiba-kun . . ." Hinata whispered, her hand at her mouth in her usual pose.

"Hyuuga Neji received the brunt of the attack. His wounds along his body were serious. The spikes that he had saved Kiba from had not only attacked his chakra system, but they had hit and punctured one of his lungs." [2 She paused briefly, getting several sudden gasps and wide-eyed stares. "He has, unfortunately, fallen into a deep coma due to pneumothorax, and we are unable to tell when he will awaken . . . His chakra depletion also does not help the cause. We have put him on life support." [3

Gai was looking at Tsunade in disbelief. "But when he wakes up, he'll be okay, right?" he asked.

Tsunade gave him a slight forced smile. "Of course he will. He is the Hyuuga prodigy after all."

Gai, Lee, and TenTen let out sighs of slight relief.

"Speaking of prodigies, Uchiha Sasuke is in a deep coma as well."

"WHAT?!" shouted Naruto and Sakura at once. Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly. He knew something like this was going to happen, but he hadn't known it to be _this_ bad.

Tsunade nodded her head. "Due to a severe concussion, metabolic abnormalities, and hypoxia, we have put him on life support and are monitoring him incessantly. We have almost healed the wound to his chest from the sword, and we're close to mending the flesh on his shoulder." [4

Naruto lifted one eyebrow. "What does 'motto-bowl-lick abnormalities' and 'hippo-pixie' mean?" he asked.

"_Metabolic_ abnormalities and_ hypoxia!_" corrected Tsunade. "The first means that there's something wrong with his digestive system because of a major change in his eating habits. The second one means he has lack of oxygen in his cells. Kakashi, there is something I want to speak to you about _privately."_

Kakashi rose from his seat and followed the Hokage, trying to figure out what she could possibly want from him. If it was another mission, he would have to refuse it. He had more priorities on his hand. He was led into an empty hospital room.

"Kakashi," Tsunade started. "Have you done anything to the Uchiha lately?"

Kakashi lifted his visible eyebrow. "As in what?"

"Have you upset him in some way? Or has anyone he knows done something bad to him?"

_'Besides his brother, Orochimaru, and the fan girls?'_ Kakashi had wanted to answer. Instead, he asked, "Why?"

Tsunade sighed and put one hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes. "I can't figure out any other reason for his sudden anorexia," she said. "You've noticed it, correct?"

"I've asked him directly about it, but he says that I shouldn't concern myself. He left for the mission right after that. Is it something serious?"

"If it continues, it will be. I want you to keep a close watch on him. Feed him. He's on the IV drip at the moment, and we're feeding him through the tube, but it won't help. It's just enough to keep him alive through his coma."

"Alright," said Kakashi. _'I'll try.'_

**XxXxXxX**

"What is the current news on him, Kabuto?"

Orochimaru sat in his usual chair in the darkness of the chamber, watching as Kabuto scanned the computers. His eyes had a malicious twinkle as he stared hungrily.

"It seems that Sasuke-kun is in quite a bit of trouble," replied Kabuto with a grin.

"Oh?"

"He has managed to land himself in a coma from a recent A-rank mission."

Orochimaru frowned slightly. "This will not be fun to watch," he said, but then grinned. He licked his lips. "However, if this coma lasts more than it should, he will eventually die from the poison. This has just gotten interesting." [5

**XxXxXxX**

That night, Kakashi spent the entire time in his room beneath the glow from his desk lamp. He was hunched over a book on his desk, with one palm resting against his cheek and the other grabbing a page of the book to flip it over.

He had been doing research all night. Sasuke was his pride and joy – he had trained him to the top and still had several things left to teach. He couldn't watch him wither away into nothing because of some strange sickness that had donned itself onto him.

Sickness. Kakashi figured it had to be. Sasuke may have been stubborn in ways, but he wasn't stupid enough to let his losses lead to severe depression. And he knew Sasuke couldn't give two yen about his looks, so being anorexic wasn't something on his To Do List. It couldn't be the seal, either, because it wasn't capable of doing so. So Kakashi had been sitting there all night, looking for any disease that led to Sasuke's poison. [6

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[1 This title is a parody to the movie: "Diary of a Mad Black Woman". All credit goes to that movie, even though I never watched it .

[2 See, that's why Neji had a tinge of blue to his complexion in the previous chapters.

[3 Does anybody know what the heck that is? I mean, what does it look like . . . or what does it do?

[4 Remember what I said in the last chapter? Well, Tsunade replenished everyone's chakra, even Sasuke's because she had suspected something wrong with him. However, that chakra replenishment only restored Sasuke's chakra back to the way it was before the samurai sword was embedded into him. So to put it all in simpler terms, it's like the samurai sword was never there. His chakra is still eaten by the poison . . . get what I'm trying to say?

[5 Don't ask about that . . . I needed to put them in somehow.

[6 I was originally going to separate that into two different chapters, but I thought I'd add in the diary entries. Have fun!

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**[The following is written in Naruto's point of view**

**Day 1:**

I never want to think about that mission ever again! It was the scariest mission of my life. When Kurenai said it was an A-rank, I knew it. The way everyone was dying . . . no, they're not dying. They're going to wake up and everything's going to be fine. But when Sasuke said he couldn't breathe . . . I know I'm supposed to be his rival, but I care about him too much. Especially the look on his face in the dungeon when he told me to leave . . . he looked _scared!_ He looked like he didn't want to stay in the dungeon, like he didn't want to be left alone, but he had to. I cried a little in the morning. I couldn't stand to see Sasuke in a coma like that. I don't know when he's going to wake up, or if he's even going to wake up. No, I shouldn't say that. Of course he's going to wake up. Damn these tears . . . just when you think you've run out, more come. I hate this feeling . . . like I'm missing something. That teme had better wake up. I need to go buy some ramen to cheer me up.

**Day 2:**

Still no sign of movement from the teme. I'm going to visit him everyday with Sakura-chan. She brings a flower every day to change the dying one. Me? I bring up nothing. What's there to give someone in a coma? I had miso ramen today, and I ate that while I was in the hospital. Sigh, I wish I knew what to do. I'm going to go bother Kaka-sensei. He isn't doing anything right now except waiting around and reading that stupid book of his.

**Day 3:**

I went up to the hospital alone today. I needed to talk to Sasuke alone. I told him how he was such a jerk for going into a coma and making everyone worry about him. I didn't really mean it that way. I guess I'm just angry, and I need to take my anger out on someone. He looks so . . . I don't know . . . depressed. He's normally mean and stubborn, but I can't help but think he's hiding something in him. He doesn't look as healthy as he always does, though. There are these dark spots under his eyes and his ribs keep poking through his skin. If I had a stick, I bet I could play a song on them. I wish I had noticed something earlier. I don't like seeing him that way.

**Day 4:**

Shikamaru woke up today. We filled him in, but all he said was that everything was troublesome. I guess that's his favorite word to use. I got to talk to him, and we had a light conversation about the mission. He even made some jokes here and there, but both of us were uncomfortable when we were laughing at them – I could tell. I didn't have much time to talk to him, though, because Granny Tsunade took him in for questioning. Now if only Sasuke would wake up.

**Day 5:**

I'm going to go crazy! I can't do anything while Sasuke is dying on that machine! I went crazy on the D-rank mission we had today. We were supposed to be farming, but I couldn't do it right. I kept getting angry at the dirt for being bumpy. I went so crazy that I dug up the things I had poorly planted. Kaka-sensei told me to take a break so he sent me home. Still no sign of life from Sasuke.

**Day 6:**

I might be skipping days when I have nothing interesting to write down, or when I'm too emotional to speak. I'm going to admit that I'm afraid to look at Sasuke now. I'm afraid to see him so beat up, so pale, so weak-looking. I have to stop thinking about him. Okay, I'll change the subject. Today, I bought pork ramen for a change. The noodles in the ramen reminded me of a fan. You know, isn't there a fan on the back of Sasuke's shirt? Oh shit! I'm still thinking about him! I have to clear my heard now. [1

**Day 7:**

Finally, Kiba woke up today. He started swearing, asking for Akamaru. Kurenai-sensei was hugging him to death. Hinata was there, giving him a white flower. I think she had a fever because she was a little warm and her face was red! Shino did nothing, as usual. I'll never get him. But it wasn't long before Kiba was louder than I ever was. You could hear his laughter from down the hall. I'm just glad he's okay. All that's left is Sasuke and Neji. Why is everyone waking up except Sasuke?!

**Day 10:**

I skipped a few days. They were completely uneventful. I told Sakura-chan that I was keeping a diary of the days that Sasuke was in his coma and she said that I should write about my feelings. So here are my feelings: I love Sakura, I hate it when Kakashi's late, I think Shikamaru needs to get off his lazy ass, I'm annoyed when Chouji eats too much . . . and I'm having mixed feelings about Sasuke. It's like watching your closest friend die in front of your eyes. I don't want him to die. I know we're rivals, but we're friends in a way. I have to go to sleep for the mission tomorrow. I hope I don't screw up.

**Day 11:**

The mission today took longer than we'd expected. We had to capture some damned dog that had rabies. It had _rabies!_ Kakashi said that it was an A-rank mission – I didn't like that joke. We had to be careful so that the dog didn't bite us. But Sakura-chan got scratched by it. We had to send her to the hospital afterwards and I took the time to visit Sasuke. He _still_ didn't move! It's been eleven days! I'm starting to worry . . . but Neji still hasn't come around. I'm scared. For the first time, I'm scared about what's going to happen. I need ramen bad right now.

**Day 12:**

I feel so ANGRY right now! You should have been there! I was going haywire today. I was walking to get my daily breakfast of ramen (I was thinking about getting chicken ramen, but then miso ramen sounded better, but . . . anyway) when I overheard these two guys talking. They looked like they were a little older than Kaka-sensei. Anyway, they were talking about Sasuke. The first guy pretended to be digging a grave, saying that they should get ready to bury another Uchiha. Then the second guy laughed and said that they'd write how crazy and stupid he was on his tombstone. Then they _laughed!_ I was so angry at them! How _dare_ they talk about Sasuke that way?! So I ran right up one of them, jumped on his back, and bit him. I bit him really hard on his shoulder blade. So hard that he bled! But I didn't care. I punched the other guy in the face and there was blood everywhere. Unfortunately for me, Kaka-sensei and Asuma-sensei (with Sakura-chan and Shikamaru) took the time to appear and it took both of them to get me off of the guys. But that didn't stop me – I kept cursing at the guys until Asuma-sensei put his hand over my mouth. Sakura-chan and Shikamaru sent the guys to the hospital under Kaka-sensei's orders and then I told them the story. They said I needed to calm down about Sasuke. Calm down my ass. So now I'm here, pacing my room in the middle of the night. I can't sleep. My knuckles are bleeding – I've been punching the wall in my anger. Why did this have to happen to Sasuke?

**Day 13:**

Everyone was going crazy today when I went to the hospital with Sakura-chan. Since Sakura was a medic-nin, I got to see what was happening. It turns out that Neji had moved. I didn't see what the big deal was; he didn't wake up yet. He just moved his hand. When we entered the room, he was making these noises like he was in pain. Granny Tsunade tried to wake him up, but it was no use. He just went right back to sleep.

**Day 14:**

Neji finally woke up today. Gai-sensei cried, as usual. He has to stay in the hospital for one day, and then he can't train hard for four days so that he doesn't hurt his lung. I wonder what it's like to hit your lung. I bet it must hurt, because Neji was screaming in pain when he first woke up. It was so loud that I could hear it from the hospital entrance. I didn't visit him, because he's not that close to me. And to be honest, he sort of creeps me out. Sasuke's the only one left. We're all waiting for him.

**Day 17:**

Out of all the days I've had, today had to be the worst. It scared me so much that I almost cried. I went to visit Sasuke again (17 days!), but in the afternoon. Sakura-chan was talking to Kaka-sensei. So when I sat down, I just started talking to him about anything I could think of. I started off with the missions we've had, but it was cut short. This loud beeping came out of nowhere and at first, I was happy because I thought that Sasuke was finally going to wake up. But it turned out to be his heart monitor. It was going crazy – beeping like it shouldn't be beeping. It was going faster and faster and I knew that that wasn't a good thing. I was so scared; I didn't know what to do! I called in a nurse, and she called in a doctor, and she called in Granny Tsunade. They shut me out of the room, but I listened at the door. Granny Tsunade was shouting lots of orders at the doctors and nurses that went inside – stuff about changing the tubes and wires and storing up chakra. And then my heart skipped when she said that they were losing him . . . that Sasuke was dying. I couldn't hear the beep of the monitor anymore. You know what that means . . . The damn tears started to come again, but I wouldn't let them fall. I didn't want to believe that Sasuke was dead. Thank Kami-sama that he wasn't, though. Granny Tsunade managed to save him at the last minute. He was unconscious the whole time, though. He didn't move or anything. I stayed in his room for so long that Kaka-sensei had to drag me out . . . at midnight.

**Day 18:**

I can't believe it's been eighteen days. Is it possible for someone to be in a coma that long? Neji told me that people stay in comas for years. I asked him about what happens when they wake up, but he didn't answer me [2. I don't know why. There was this sort of weird look in his eyes, like he was sad or something. Sakura-chan came to get me from Sasuke's room. After that incident yesterday, I didn't want to take my eyes off him, but she said that it was unhealthy to stay in his room the entire time. So I went around Konoha with her. We met almost everyone we knew, and they all smiled, but I was too sad to smile. When is that teme going to wake up? If he doesn't wake up soon, I might have to shake the consciousness into him.

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[1 No, I'm not trying to make him gay. I'm just trying to show you guys how much Naruto cares about Sasuke. I mean, if he didn't, why would he do so much to try and bring him back in the anime?

[2 If any of you didn't get why Neji didn't answer him, it's because most of the people that awaken from their coma after that long die immediately or in a few days. So Neji didn't want to tell that to Naruto. And that weird look in his eyes was sadness/pity.


	16. Day 19

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto . . . Kakashi would have gerbils instead of dogs.

**Author's Note:** Hoho, I am true to my word! Here's another chapter thanking all of you for those reviews! They were awesome! (although, Crazy Girl was a bit . . . bizarre). I can't believe some of you are still reading this story after what I've done! Now I feel really guilty, hehe . . . Anyway, please review! I think I've made this chapter long enough to satisfy your needs! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

…**:::Day 19:::…**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_It was a two-part chapter last time. The first part was the diagnosis. Shikamaru had a concussion and two chest wounds, plus severe chakra depletion. His stay in the hospital would be four days at the maximum. Kiba, however, had several wounds to his body and severe chakra depletion as well, resulting in four days at _minimum_ in the hospital. Neji's lung was punctured by one of the spikes that had sucked the chakra from him. He was put on life support and fell into a coma. Sasuke, however, was a handful of news. Suffering from hypoxia, chakra depletion, severe wounds, and metabolic abnormalities, he fell into a coma and was put on life support with incessant watch. Tsunade talked to Kakashi privately about his sudden anorexia, and Kakashi said he would see what he would do. That sent the chapter over to the second part. Naruto kept a diary of the days Sasuke was in his coma, explaining his feelings and the days that everyone woke up, including the events of his actions. It leaves us with only one day . . . day 19._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Beeping.

Where the heck was the beeping coming from?! It came every second, hitting the beat directly. And it was starting to get on Uchiha Sasuke's nerves.

Keeping his eyes closed, he tried to breathe through his nose, only to find tubes inserted into his nostrils. So he resorted to breathing through his mouth. But there was a tube in that too. So he did the next best thing after he tried to swallow.

He choked.

His eyes were still closed as he went into a series of violent coughs, gasping for breath as the tube inside of him rattled. He moved his arms slowly and pulled off a few wires in the process.

Why wouldn't the damn tube come out?!

There was a banging sound and then echoing footsteps before he could hear shouts.

"He's awake!"

"The Uchiha is awake!"

"Call Tsunade-sama!"

"Regulate his breathing!"

"He's choking!"

"Hurry up!"

Cold hands suddenly plastered themselves against his bare chest and he faintly lashed out at them, releasing more wires in the process. More hands stopped his limbs from moving, but he wouldn't give up. They were _all over him!_ He tried to lash out once again, but the hands kept restraining him.

"Uchiha-san, please calm down!"

That didn't help. It only made him fight more at the unfamiliar voices. His eyes refused to open. His choking was still going on, hurting his chest.

"We'll have to sedate him. Call Kakashi-san after you get Tsunade-sama."

More force was applied to his right arm suddenly. He felt something thin get inserted into him.

_"You have 743 hours, 59 minutes, and 58 seconds left to live." _[1

NO!

Was he with Orochimaru again? Had Kabuto captured him? Where the heck was he in the first place? The needle was pulled out of his arm and he could already begin to feel its effects slightly.

"What is going on here?!" came a woman's fierce voice. Heels clicked against the tiled floor, mercilessly pounding themselves into Sasuke's mind. He grimaced.

"Tsunade-sama, Uchiha-san is awake from his coma!"

"We gave him a sedative, but it doesn't seem to be working."

"He's choking, you fool! Take the tube out before he kills himself!"

There was a whooshing sound and soft padding before strong hands grasped his jaw. They were warmer than the ones previously on his chest. He braced himself for the pain to come, remembering when he had shattered it on the recent mission, but everything felt fine. He wasn't injured.

"Sasuke," came a manly voice, "don't move."

Sasuke opened his eyes into slits at the familiar voice. His vision being blurry at first, he realized it was Kakashi. There were slight bags under his visible eye and his hair seemed droopier than usual. But nonetheless, it was Kakashi. He knew he was safe.

Giving one last feeble cough, he allowed the doctors to take all of the tubes off of him, as well as every wire besides the IV drip. When the doctors were finished, Kakashi patted Sasuke lightly on the chest for reassurance and turned back to Tsunade.

Sasuke turned his head slightly to be blinded by the whiteness of the hospital. "What happened after the mission?" he asked.

Kakashi took a seat besides the hospital bed and gave him a brief of what had happened, as well as the events that occurred while his coma was taking effect. Shikamaru was the first to wake up from his consciousness and was in tiptop shape the next two days, followed by Kiba. Neji had just recently awoken from his coma after having successful treatment. Gai supervised his training over the next few days, making sure he didn't disturb his lung further. And then came the question that was nagging Sasuke so much.

"How long have I been out?" he asked quietly. His ringed eyes looked from Kakashi to Tsunade.

"Roughly three weeks. It's March 28th." [2

_"WHAT?!"_

Sasuke had jolted upright so fast that he surprised Kakashi. He laid right back down from the pain and fatigue that came to him, however.

"Your coma was that bad," explained Tsunade.

Sasuke's mind was running crazily. He had three days left . . . _three_ to get all of the ingredients together. He had to start now. Weakly, he moved his arms to take his blanket off of him, but Kakashi put a hand on his to stop him.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked calmly.

Sasuke scowled. "I've got something highly important that I need to do in the next three days," he said briefly.

"Then why not ask one of us to do it for you?"

"It's private."

"You can't come out of the hospital yet. You just woke up from a coma. The doctors need to make sure you're stable."

"Watch me."

"I've stationed ANBU at the doorway."

"They can't stop me."

_"Watch them."_

Sasuke and Kakashi's 'argument' ended at that. Sasuke deepened his scowl and crossed his arms over his chest, watching his sensei with a glare. Tsunade smirked. "You can glare all you want, Uchiha, but that's not going to stop us from protecting you."

She motioned for Kakashi to leave with her, saying something about how they should let Sasuke rest before he has to face Sakura and Naruto. Kakashi said something about telling Naruto and Sakura to visit. Sasuke groaned when they exited. He could hear Kakashi speaking to several deep voices, no doubt ANBU.

ANBUs weren't going to stop him, however. Just because they were stationed outside of his door didn't mean that he couldn't escape a different way. He reached over, shed the blankets off of him, pulled the IV drip painfully out of his hand, and slowly turned so that he was getting ready to get off of the bed.

The second he did, he felt his legs give way and he went tumbling towards the bed. He fell onto it, feeling everything in his body go numb. He knew comas had no power to do that. No, this was another effect of the poison. With only three days to go, he was already getting weaker.

_'I've got to get to my house,'_ he said, pushing himself back up. He tried to move once more, getting further than before. It took a while to get there, but he finally reached the window. Looking down, he realized he was on the third floor, and the nearest thing to him was a tree that was too far away.

"Shit . . ." he mumbled. He looked at the ground once more. It was nothing but grass. Deciding he would rather risk a broken bone or two than death, he positioned himself to jump.

"Sasuke!"

The voice was what had startled him to jump in the first place. He was caught by surprise and leaned heavily forward, falling from the window. He tried to get himself into a position for better control, but it was no use – his limbs wouldn't listen to him. Luckily, the owner of the voice was from below, and had caught Sasuke safely.

It turned out to be Kakashi.

"Shit!" Sasuke repeated, trying to struggle out of the man's grip. It was no use.

"What the _hell_ did I tell you? Do you see how weak you are?!" Kakashi demanded. For once, he sounded furious. He wasn't as calm and collected as before.

"I don't care! I need to get something important done!" protested Sasuke. He squirmed, trying to get free.

"It can wait!" snapped Kakashi.

"No it can't!"

Kakashi let Sasuke down, but held the Uchiha in a vice grip by the shoulders. He looked down. "And why not?"

"Because my life depends on the next three days," replied Sasuke quietly. He didn't look Kakashi in the eyes, fearing he would see Orochimaru's face. He hoped he hadn't given away too much.

Kakashi, slightly startled, began steering Sasuke away. "We need to talk."

Sasuke went obediently. He knew that if he tried anything against the Jounin, it would end up against his favor. Kakashi led him to a three-seat bench besides the hospital.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "What has gotten you so worked up this past month?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I can't speak of it?" said Sasuke stubbornly.

Kakashi sighed. "I'm going to ask you a few short-answer questions. You can answer them if you want to," he said, raking a hand through his hair. His research over the few weeks hadn't been going well. Tsunade had loaded his team with missions, and when he came back in the night, he sat hunched over a book. Every page, every disease and diagnosis, was useless to him. He couldn't find one that fit Sasuke's description.

"Did something happen to you before this month?" he asked first.

"Iie."

"So it happened this month?"

"Hn."

"Does it have to do with the seal?"

"Iie."

"Why are you anorexic? You've never been this way before."

Sasuke chose to stay silent at this, feeling his stomach toss and turn uncomfortably. He placed his hands to it, feeling his ribs completely. "I can't tell you . . ." he said after a long silence. He wanted to scream to his sensei, to anyone that he was poisoned, that he had three days to live. But if he did, they would die. He didn't want to lose anyone important to him again.

"Can I help you at all?"

"You can stay out of this."

"Sasuke."

Silence.

Sasuke was going to slip his hand into his pocket when he realized that he was wearing the white hospital clothes they gave their patients.

"I have ingredients," he began slowly. "I need to get them to make something."

"To make an antidote?"

Sasuke paused, wondering if he should go on or not. It wasn't vital information that Orochimaru would kill over, so he nodded. "Hai."

Kakashi suddenly looked alarm. He grabbed Sasuke's shoulders. "An antidote for what, Sasuke? An antidote for what?"

Sasuke turned his head away from his sensei. He didn't want to show any emotion, but he wanted to scream. Scream and cry and break down and do everything that an Uchiha was unable to do in the past.

"An antidote for a –"

And then darkness came.

**XxXxXxX**

Sasuke awoke to find his limbs aching. Someone was _sitting_ on top of his chest! He opened his eyes blearily to find Kabuto smirking. A kunai was in his hand.

"Sasuke-kun."

That voice. _That voice!_ It sent Sasuke's mind into a frenzy as goosebumps wavered up his arms and his spine shivered. He turned his head slightly to see Orochimaru grinning . . . licking his lips.

Sasuke closed his eyes. "This is a dream. Kakashi knocked me out. This is all a dream," he repeated to himself. But he still bore Kabuto's weight on his chest.

"You need to be punished," Orochimaru continued. "You almost told someone your little secret. People who break the rules need to be punished."

With that, Kabuto pressed the sharp edge of the kunai to Sasuke's temple. He slid it down slowly, drawing blood, touching the pulsing seal. Sasuke didn't even flinch. He felt the blood trickle down onto the bridge of his nose. Kabuto stopped the kunai for a second to press it against his neck, drawing blood from a recent wound.

Orochimaru chuckled as he proceeded to where Kabuto sat on Sasuke. He ordered Kabuto to get off of him and, nodding to himself, Kabuto did as he was told. Before Sasuke could even twitch, he felt his back get slammed brutally into the stone wall, crying out in pain.

"You told him quite a few things you shouldn't have," he whispered in Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke felt his body freeze over, a shiver running down his spine. Orochimaru held him up to the wall by his neck, his face so close that Sasuke could feel his warm breath upon his neck.

"And so, this is your minor punishment."

Taking his free hand, Orochimaru held Sasuke's head in place as he slid his tongue out and licked the trail of blood that descended from his temple. Sasuke screamed.

"Get the hell off of me!" he said, his voice coming out weaker than he expected.

"Blood makes me _antsy_," was the reply he got. Sasuke saw Orochimaru lick his lips before dropping Sasuke unceremoniously to the floor. Sasuke was fruitlessly wiping at his temple where the Sannin had _licked_ him!

"I believe I have to send you back," said Orochimaru. "This was just a simple warning. The next thing will be an immediate death."

With that, the darkness came again.

However, Sasuke saw lights in a few seconds. He felt himself land next to something soft.

"Sasuke . . ." came a voice, followed by a sigh of relief.

Sasuke found that he was leaning onto Kakashi, his blood seeping into his shirt. Alarmed, Kakashi stood up.

"Where did you get those wounds in such a short amount of time?!" he exclaimed, gently grabbing the Uchiha's head and turning it. He saw the smeared blood against Sasuke's temple.

Sasuke, however, remained silent. The poison was giving him great fatigue and he was already worn out as it was. "Don't send me back to the hospital," he whispered, closing his eyes and ignoring the previous.

Kakashi raised a visible eyebrow. "Sasuke, where did you get the wounds?" he pressed. He had already taken out bandages from his pouch.

"I can't stay there. I need to live these three days to their fullest. Just . . . don't send me back there . . ."

Sasuke's eyes, for a brief second, held pain. They held all of the emotion he had wanted to show in the past few years: sadness, grief, pain, wounds that would never heal. And for that brief second, Kakashi had pitied him.

Quivers wracked Sasuke's entire body, shaking him all over. He slipped off of the bench unexpectedly, giving short gasps of breaths and soft moans. Kakashi watched him fall unconscious soon after that.

And the first thing that came to his mind was the antidote that Sasuke had mentioned.

The second thing was poison.

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[1 He was remembering the same thing that Orochimaru had done to him because of the needle.

[2 Long time, right? Yeah, well, I thought it was a clever way of wasting time!


	17. One Step Ahead

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto . . . Shino would smile.

**Author's Note:** Ah, another chapter! I updated just in time! And **WE REACHED OVER 100 REVIEWS!!!** Yes, **WE** did it! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I can't believe this story was a hit!

In other news, I just submitted in a Sasuke birthday fic for all you Sasuke lovers. And if any of you Sasuke lovers have read my story **Never the Same**, I'm creating a sequel. Any ideas are welcome, but it's all based around a certain plot. Anyway, Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

…**:::One Step Ahead:::…**

**Note: This part may seem a little random. You'll see what I mean. Fear not - it is all part of an elaborate scheme.**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_It was the moment of the century. Sasuke Uchiha finally woke up from his coma after 19 days. At first, he was sent into a series of coughs due to the tube that had been shoved inside of him during his coma, but with Kakashi and Tsunade's help, he was reduced to a calm (almost) state. However, when he finds out that he has three days left to live, he tries to leave. Kakashi tells him that he has stationed ANBU at the doorway, so escaping was useless. But when Kakashi and Tsunade leave, Sasuke exits out of the window, only to fall right into the hands of none other than Kakashi himself. They have a conversation together about Sasuke's sudden changes. When Sasuke is about to give away his secret, he suddenly gets transported into the midst of Kabuto and Orochimaru. He is given slight punishment before being sent back. Not long after that, he falls into unconsciousness once again._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Kakashi had felt for Sasuke and granted his wishes of not being sent to the hospital. He would receive punishment from Tsunade later. Instead of taking Sasuke back to his Uchiha manor, Kakashi took him back to his apartment. He would have better control over his student then.

Unfortunately for the growing headache Kakashi was gradually receiving, Naruto and Sakura had been on their ways to the hospital after getting word that Sasuke had awoken. So when Kakashi picked up Sasuke to bring him back to his apartment, Naruto and Sakura had stopped him.

"Kaka-sensei! What are you doing with Sasuke?!" demanded Naruto. "He's not supposed to be out of the hospital yet!"

"He woke up from his coma, Naruto," Kakashi replied calmly. He could tell Sakura was looking at Sasuke's bloodied bandages that Kakashi had applied to his temple and his neck.

"No he didn't – he's still unconscious."

"It's a long story, but he just woke up from his coma and then went back into unconsciousness."

"No way!"

"Really?"

"Sasuke's alive! Sasuke's awake!" chanted Naruto. His grin reached his ears, crinkling his eyes. He did a small happy dance on the spot, but then stopped. "You did _not_ just see that, got it?"

"Will he be okay?" asked Sakura worriedly, grinning in her head at the dance she witnessed.

The Uchiha had gotten worse over the two weeks he had spent in the hospital. His clothes hung loosely to him now, and the dark hollows around his eyes had become even darker. His once slick and shiny hair was now dull and hung over his face in mangles wisps.

"How many times do I have to remind you that he is an Uchiha? Even if they were dying from a disease, they would still say that they were in excellent shape."

"Why do you have hold of him?" asked Sakura. "He should stay in the hospital for another day."

"I'm taking him to my apartment so I can take better care of him. I'll tell you when you can visit, though. But _don't_ visit without my permission first." Kakashi sighed heavily and continued to walk towards his apartment. "Over the next three days, try not to talk too much to him, though," he said. "He isn't in the state to be roused, especially by someone as hyperactive as you, Naruto." Naruto huffed at this and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just don't get him too excited. I've got something special that I need to do, so that mission will have to wait until tomorrow. Sayonara."

Kakashi had reminded himself of his discovery when he had told Naruto and Sakura: "Even if they were dying from a disease, they would still say they were in excellent shape."

Sasuke had to be poisoned. It was the only way. Of course, an antidote could have been for anything, but poison was the only option. It would explain why he was unable to locate it in the book of medicines he had gotten. And then it all clicked in his head.

_The poison book!_

He remembered back to the time when Sasuke had asked for a poison book. _That's_ why he needed it! To find an antidote! Kakashi took off at a run instead and made it to his apartment in record time. He quickly opened the door and headed to his room, placing Sasuke gently on his bed before heading over to his shelf of books.

He had many books about poisons. When Sasuke had asked for one, his memory had escaped him since Sasuke was so bent on buying one. But now that he remembered, there were all kinds of poisons listed in his inventory.

Flames.

They had just appeared out of nowhere, engulfing the books entirely. Black flames encased the contents until they were reduced to nothing but a pile of ash. Kakashi was slightly surprised.

"Whoever injected Sasuke with the poison doesn't want me finding an antidote," he said. He watched the unconscious form of Sasuke, watching as his chest slowly rose and sank. He would need to find a way to retrieve his information sneakily.

Right after escaping his unconsciousness, Shikamaru went straight to Kakashi to inform him of Sasuke's actions during the mission. Kakashi wracked his brain for the symptoms . . . unconsciousness . . . abdominal pains . . . fatigue . . . famine . . .

Unfortunately, Kakashi was no expert in poisons. But he did, however, know of someone who did. Before he went off running towards Tsunade's office, a faint voice caught him.

"Kakashi . . ."

Kakashi immediately turned around to stare at Sasuke. The Uchiha had his eyes closed, and he hadn't moved from his spot, but his lips were moving. "Ingredients . . ." he stated simply.

"Where are the ingredients, Sasuke?" asked Kakashi softly, pushing on the conversation.

"Dresser. My room. Book."

"I'm not going to come back here again," Kakashi informed him. "I'm going to look for the ingredients, and once I find them all, I'll make your antidote, okay?"

He took off without looking at Sasuke's nod of the head, leaving the Uchiha to sleep. Sasuke, however, did anything _but_ rest. The second he sensed a lack of chakra in the area, he got out of bed and went to the closet. He had found the list tucked away in his shoe. His decoy would work for a few minutes, enough to get him out of his sensei's apartment.

He found a black shirt that was one of Kakashi's smallest and a pair of heavily-bagged pants which he kept around his waist with a belt he had found discarded in the dresser. The white outfit the hospital provided for him had gotten stained slightly with blood from his quick wounds. At least the black shirt and matching pants would hide any blood.

He got the shock of his life when he took off his shirt.

The mark, which had once only reached the outside of his navel, was now up to his breast bone! It had grown wider as well, reaching a few centimeters away from the curve of his stomach. His eyes grew wide.

_'At least I didn't feel the pain while I was in my coma,'_ he thought, dressing up.

Sasuke found himself extremely groggy when he left the apartment to find the sun shining down on his sensitive eyes. He blinked a few times and lowered his head to avoid the rays as he walked down the street to wherever his feet dragged him. Truly, he did not know where a single one of the ingredients left on his list were. He only wanted to get away from all of the chaos.

"Sasuke-kun!"

So much for getting away. Wearily turning around, he spotted Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru. Ino was waving her hand merrily, being restrained by Shikamaru. If she hadn't been, she would have charged at him and knocked him flat to the ground.

_'He looks . . . horrible!'_ thought Shikamaru as he examined his comrade. "Word got around that you came out of your coma," he said with a shrug.

Sasuke nodded, not wanting to say anything. He looked around at the secluded area they were in. It was a wide patch of trees behind Kakashi's arrangement of apartments. Ino must have tracked him down with her "fan-girl vision" as she liked to call it.

"Shikamaru, let go of me!" Ino whined, squirming in his grasp.

"No," he said monotonously. He let out a loud yawn of boredom.

"You came for what you wanted," started Sasuke. "You can leave now –"

"Uchiha."

Sasuke turned around to stare into the familiar pearl eyes of Neji Hyuuga. He was leading an adult behind him, who bore the Konoha symbol on the forehead protector tied tightly around his limp hair.

"Hyuuga," he replied indifferently.

"_This_ is the Uchiha?" said the stranger, slightly taken aback. Sasuke scowled.

"And who might you be?" he snarled.

"He says he wanted to meet you," said Neji.

"Yamato Kenji," said the man. "And I will be your downfall. I challenge you to a battle."

Neji turned to him, slightly angry. "You said you only wanted to meet him. You spoke nothing of a battle."

"I don't have to tell you everything, Hyuuga-san, but I thank you for your assistance," said Kenji. He stood in front of Sasuke with his tanned arms crossed over his chest. Strands of chocolate hair fell into his eyes when he looked down at the ground for a moment to catch a train of thought.

"Can you not see that Uchiha is in no condition to –?"

"It's alright, Hyuuga," said Sasuke quietly. "If he wants a fight, he'll get one." He turned to Kenji. "So, when will it be?"

"Now."

The Sasuke inside raised his eyebrows in shock. "Now?" he said, speaking his thoughts.

"I don't have time to dawdle around the countryside. I need to get back to my comrades in time. I must battle you first."

Sasuke sneered and stepped back slightly, getting in a defensive position. He wouldn't have normally accepted a battle like this, out of the blue. But he had a lot of rage bottled up inside of him and wanted to go full out with it. Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji backed up so that they were slightly outside of the secluded area. They wanted to stick around. Any battle involving Uchiha Sasuke was without a doubt going to be an interesting one.

Neji, however, stayed rooted to the spot. "Uchiha, I don't think this is such a good idea. You _just_ got out of the –"

"This will only take a second, Hyuuga," he said, waving away the comment. Neji wavered on the spot for a few second before deciding it best to back up to where Shikamaru and the others were standing. Although he would never admit it, Sasuke had become some sort of friend to him through their silent conversations. And sort-of-friends didn't like to watch while their other sort-of-friend got their ass kicked. [1

"I'm ready to begin when you are," said Sasuke.

"I'm anxious to see the power of the so-called Legendary Uchiha," replied Kenji, smirking before charging towards Sasuke.

The Uchiha smirked and wanted to sidestep to avoid him, but crumpled to the floor abruptly instead . . . and Kenji went tripping over him.

Chouji flinched.

Shikamaru took a step forward.

Ino gasped.

And Neji activated his Byakugan.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Kenji, standing back up. "What was that, Uchiha?!"

Neji could see absolutely _nothing_ wrong with the Uchiha's body. _'It must be fatigue,'_ he guessed.

Sasuke was still fully conscious, but unable to move a single muscle of his body. Neji, however, had thought that he had fainted completely since Sasuke's face was turned away from him.

"Is that all you've got?! What pathetic excuse of an Uchiha are you?!" Kenji continued.

Sasuke wanted to lash out and kill Kenji for all he was worth, which he thought wasn't much, but his body wasn't allowing him to do so. Neji came to his defense calmly.

"I told you he wasn't in any condition for a battle," he said in his collected voice. He moved forward slightly to check him over.

"If he was truly an Uchiha, he wouldn't have gotten in that condition in the first place," spat Kenji.

"What do you think Uchihas are?" spoke Shikamaru from his spot. "Invincible?"

"Shikamaru, ignore the fool and help me pick Sasuke up," said Neji. He reached down and grabbed Sasuke's arms.

"No, Neji," came a voice from the trees. "Leave the fool on the floor and I'll pick him up." [2

Everyone turned to the trees to see Kakashi emerging, his visible eye slightly enraged.

"Kaka-sensei!" said Ino. "How did you know we were here?"

"How did he not know?" answered Chouji. It was Kakashi, after all. His mysteries baffled even the greatest of shinobi.

"Kenji, are you causing mischief once again?" said Kakashi, ignoring Ino's question.

Kenji's eyes turned wide. "K-K-Kaka-sensei!" he stuttered, taking a step backwards.

"You know him?" asked Shikamaru curiously.

"Ah, he was one of the many shinobi that failed my bell test," he replied with a smile. He then looked down at Sasuke and his eyes flashed with slight rage for a millisecond. "I'll be taking Sasuke."

"Well, if you need any medicine for him, you could always ask my dad," said Shikamaru as he watched Kakashi pick up Sasuke. "He helped the hospital out a lot with them."

"Yes, yes, I've been meaning to have a chat with him about something. Do you mind telling him to meet me at the top of the Hokage Mountains in ten minutes?"

Shikamaru nodded and left with a simple goodbye. Kakashi did as well, but he kept an eye on Sasuke as they made their getaway.

"I know you're not unconscious," he said when they were out of earshot from everyone else.

Sasuke opened his eyes after having closed them and looked into Kakashi's face. He was slightly taken aback at the rage in the single visible eye.

"What did I tell you to do?!" Kakashi snapped, racing to his apartment. "You completely disobeyed my orders! Sasuke, they don't call me a sensei for nothing! I'm not alive to warm a chair you know!"

Sasuke said nothing. If he had the ability to do so, he would have struggled from Kakashi's grasp and then run back to get some ingredients, but he couldn't.

"Not only that," continued Kakashi, "But you lied to me! Your life is on the line and you _lied_ to me!"

"Are you going to give me a lecture all day or are you going to let me sleep in peace?"

Kakashi sighed heavily. "Where's the real list, Sasuke? I can get all of the ingredients for you if you just give me the list."

"Front pocket," Sasuke simply lied. As Kakashi walked into his apartment, Sasuke saw dark blurs from his vision. Everything looked like a shadow that was blurry at the outline, but darker inside.

Kakashi placed Sasuke on his bed and began undressing him. He wasn't doing anything bad – he was just trying to get Sasuke more comfortable for sleep. Besides, he wanted his favorite clothes back.

"Hey! You pervert!" said Sasuke as he saw Kakashi fishing through his shorts that had been slid off of him.

"Shut up, Sasuke. You know I'm not that desperate," said Kakashi as he dropped the shorts. "Where. Is. The. List?" he stated more forcefully. He couldn't believe Sasuke had just lied . . . _twice!_

Sasuke sighed, knowing the game was over. "My sandal."

Kakashi yanked Sasuke's sandals off of his feet and grabbed the list at last and opened it, giving a low whistle at all of the ingredients. He turned to Sasuke. "You're going to stay here and sleep while I go speak with Shikaku about this antidote. I'll find out what poison you've got, and then I'll help you."

"How are you so sure I'll stay here after I get my motion back?"

Sasuke immediately wished he hadn't said anything. Kakashi smirked as he took out a roll of wire from his pouch and tied Sasuke to the bed with it. It slightly dug into his exposed flesh.

"I'm glad you asked. Ja ne!"

With a cheery wave, Kakashi left to locate Shikaku while Sasuke muttered obscenities under his breath.

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

[1 You know, if you put Neji, Gaara, and Sasuke in a room together, there wouldn't be any talking what-so-ever. It would actually be kind of creepy. And yet, Neji and Sasuke manage to be sort of friends. Weird.

[2 Kakashi knows that they were saying Kenji was the fool, but he said that Sasuke was the fool because of what he did


	18. Something You Don't Know

**Disclaimer:** I tried to own Naruto, but I got a Chidori to the gut and a Rasengan to the head.

**Author's Note:** Hey all. One again, I can not thank you enough for the reviews! There are only a few chapters left! However, I'm leaving tomorrow to go on a vacation at the beach and I won't be back until next Friday. However, that shouldn't be too much of a problem since I update weekly. So please review! I'm hoping to reach 150 by the end of this story! Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

…**:::I Know That You Know That I Know About What He Knows:::…**

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!!!!**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_After stopping to speak with Naruto and Sakura (in which Naruto did a happy dance), Kakashi sent Sasuke to his apartment. He asked for the list, only to get false directions from Sasuke. So while Kakashi was out searching for the list, Sasuke sneakily took the real list and headed outside to search for the ingredients on his own. Unfortunately, he happened to meet Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji. To his utmost bad lack, Neji appeared with a new foe that wanted to fight Sasuke – Yamato Kenji. The two began battle, only to end up with Sasuke motionless on the floor. Kakashi showed up, visibly enraged, and returned Sasuke back to his apartment where he retrieved the true list, tied Sasuke to the bed, and left to find . . ._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Shikaku."

The man turned at the sound of his name, revealing a bored expression on a scarred face.

"Ah, Kakashi," replied the man. He shook hands with the Jounin that had just arrived. "It is a pleasure to be of service again. Shikamaru said you wanted something medical."

Kakashi nodded and beckoned for Shikaku to sit on a nearby flat rock with him. Once they were seated, he turned his visible eye to his comrade. "If I tell you a list of symptoms, will you be able to tell me what poison it belongs to?"

Shikaku's face suddenly turned into a frown. "I've memorized a great deal of poisons, so probably. Are you poisoned?"

"Me? No! No, it's nothing like that. I just need the information," said Kakashi quickly. Shikaku failed to notice Kakashi's slipup.

"Alright then, I'll take a crack at it."

Kakashi placed his hand in front of him, elbow rested on knee, and put four fingers up. "All I've got are four basic symptoms, though: fatigue, unconsciousness, abdominal pains, and anorexia. However, I do have a list of ingredients."

"That's even better!" exclaimed Shikaku as he watched Kakashi take out a small, folded piece of paper. He opened it when it was handed to him and scanned the page. Immediately, his eyes widened.

"Oh geez, you can't be serious!"

"Is there something wrong?" asked Kakashi, suddenly feeling strange.

"I didn't recognize the other ingredients, but the golden kunai and the blood says it all."

"Blood?!"

Kakashi snatched the paper from Shikaku unceremoniously with wide eyes and looked over it. He hadn't looked at it before, but now that he did, he wished he hadn't. The ingredients involved a ritual with blood . . . a lot of blood. He couldn't believe Sasuke was going to have to do this.

"What's the poison called, Shikaku?!" asked Kakashi in sudden alarm.

"Uh . . . I think it was called Serpens Venenum, but –"

He didn't have any time to finish his sentence. Kakashi was already gone in a gust of wind.

"That is one troublesome person . . ."

**XxXxXxX**

Kakashi opened his eyes to darkness. Instead of appearing at his apartment like he had wanted to, he was now in a cemented room. There were no windows, no doors, just a single lit torch . . . and two other presences.

"What the –?"

He tried moving his arms, only to find that they were shackled to the wall!

"Kakashi-kun . . ."

That voice. _That voice!_ [1 Where had he heard that voice from? He turned his head, which was possibly the only part of his body that wasn't shackled, and his eyes widened.

Orochimaru stood by Kabuto in the far corner of the room, grinning maliciously.

"You!" exclaimed Kakashi. He struggled against his binds.

"Me," teased Orochimaru.

"What do you want with me?!"

"Basically, I know that you know that I know about what he knows." [2

Both Kakashi and Kabuto raised their eyebrows at this.

"Does that come with a translation?" he asked, only half-jokingly.

Orochimaru's face contorted into anger. "You know Sasuke-kun is poisoned," he repeated.

Kakashi's eyes widened even more, if that was possible. "I should have known it was you that did this! I should have known that no one else would be as cruel as you are! Why the hell would you do that to Sasuke?!"

Orochimaru chuckled, sending goosebumps into Kakashi's body. No matter how many times he heard it, Kakashi would never get used to that malicious chortle. "It's quite an entertaining game to play, is it not?"

"You sick and twisted bastard!" cursed Kakashi. "Isn't it already enough with that damned seal you've got on him?! It's too late now, anyway. I'm going to help Sasuke. I'm going to find out about the poison and I'm going to do everything I can to save him, and you and your sick ways can't do anything about it!"

"Are you so sure about that?" teased Orochimaru. He nudged his head slightly, a signal for Kabuto. Kabuto nodded and fished for something inside of his pocket as he advanced on Kakashi. It turned out to be a pill of some sort, about the same size as a BB gun pellet.

Using his free hand, Kabuto forcefully opened Kakashi's mouth. No matter how much he tried to move his head, Kakashi was still forced to swallow the small pill.

"What the hell was that?!" he asked harshly when Kabuto retreated slightly.

"You've become another entertaining pawn in my game, Kakashi-kun," explained Orochimaru. "I can't let you help Sasuke-kun. That pill is one specially made by Kabuto to damage your voice box until Sasuke's days are done. In other words, you won't be able to speak a word to him or anybody else. Now to make this game a little more interesting, I've added some fun obstacles for you on the way."

Kakashi watched Kabuto come forward with something in his hands. From the moment the torture began to the time it was up, no one could hear his screams. And Orochimaru laughed through it all, not moving an inch. [3

**XxXxXxX**

_Thud!_

Sasuke opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep after seeing that he wouldn't be able to move for a while. However, his motion had been granted as he turned his head to look for the source of the sound. He realized that his binds had been loosened. Unfortunately, his bedroom door had been closed.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Slowly getting out of the bed, Sasuke went to answer the door. It was probably Kakashi. He had probably forgotten his keys or something.

"Kakashi!" came a voice as Sasuke was about to turn into the living room. "I took the liberty of gathering the ingredients for that poison of yours and –"

Scream.

A loud, ear-piercing scream.

From Sasuke.

There, before Sasuke's very eyes, was one hell of a Jounin. From the silver hair, Sasuke could tell it was Kakashi. However, that was the only thing he could see from the blood that stained every other inch of Kakashi's body. What was seen of his face was scratched and bloodied, his Jounin vest had several needles and kunais embedded into it, and his wrists were bent the wrong way. Kakashi's visible eye was still opened.

The door crashed open and Shikaku ran inside. He looked around for the source of the scream and realized it had been Sasuke.

"Uchiha, what the heck are you doing in Kakashi's apartment?" he asked. "And why are you in your boxer shorts?" His eyes trailed to what Sasuke was looking at with such a petrified expression. Even Shikaku had to let out a gasp. He was immediately by Kakashi's side.

"Kakashi? Kakashi!" he said. He had suspected that the Jounin was still conscious because his eye was opened, but he was proven wrong when he got no motion in reply. Kakashi didn't even blink.

"I just woke up and found him like this!" exclaimed Sasuke. He helped Shikaku take out a few kunais and needles.

"Stand back," ordered Shikaku. He quickly placed his hands on top of each other over Kakashi's Jounin vest and began controlling his chakra. Sasuke watched as his hands glowed a strong shade of neon green.

"Sasuke, open his vest," he ordered later on.

Sasuke nodded and zipped down Kakashi's vest with ease. Beneath it was the navy shirt he always wore, but Shikaku sliced it in half, keeping the mask on, with a simple flick of his wrist. Sasuke's eyes grew wide at the multiple bruises and wounds.

"Where did he go?!" said Shikaku as he furiously worked his chakra. Beads of sweat trailed down his nose and onto his glowing hand.

"I don't know. I was asleep on his bed and when I heard a noise and went to investigate, I just saw him." said Sasuke.

Shikaku nodded, not breaking his eye contact from Kakashi's chest. A few seconds later, Kakashi suddenly sat upright, lurching forward. He coughed violently and turned his head slowly.

"Kakashi!" both Shikaku and Sasuke exclaimed at the same time.

Kakashi looked over to them and tried to speak, but only his lips moved. Unfortunately, neither Sasuke nor Shikaku could see his lips beneath his mask.

"Why don't you speak?" asked Sasuke.

It was hopeless, was what Kakashi was thinking. Any chance of communication had been lost – not only had his speech gone, but Orochimaru had broken both of his wrists, so he was unable to write anything out.

"Speak, damn it!" snapped Sasuke, more angered than before.

"Calm down, Uchiha," instructed Shikaku, "I don't think he can."

"What?"

Kakashi nodded furiously. Shikaku had hit the nail right on the head, so he decided to play the game they had unwillingly gotten into.

"Did someone do this to you?"

"No shit?" said Sasuke rudely. He just wanted to get the hell out of there. But nonetheless, Kakashi nodded.

"Is it someone I know?"

Another nod.

"Did he inject you with something?"

Shake.

"Did he feed you anything?"

Nod.

Shikaku sighed. "It's a pill that damaged his voice. I can't fix it, and neither can Tsunade-sama. There hasn't been a jutsu fragile enough to take control of a person's voice box to return their voice. Kakashi, will your voice ever return?"

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke before nodding his head. He then winced from the other wounds that Shikaku had yet to heal.

"Let's get you to the hospital and we can work from there. Sasuke, you need to stay here."

"But –"

"No objections," said Shikaku as he hoisted Kakashi up onto his shoulders. "And give Kakashi the ingredients for the poison he was talking about when he gets back. I've taken the liberty of mixing them up."

With that, he left in a puff of smoke. Sasuke stumbled to the table where Shikaku had placed a small bamboo bowl. It had a blue substance inside of it, swirling slightly from the sudden landing and a few seeds coated the surface of it. Sasuke smirked . . . all he needed to do was obtain a golden kunai and he would be set for the poison.

And he knew where to get it.

Being careful not to spill anything, he slowly – _extremely _slowly – picked up the bowl and made it back to Kakashi's room. He had a feeling he would be there until the poison disappeared. He set the bowl down in a secure area where he was sure it wouldn't spill and turned to leave the apartment. But first, he thought it was wise to dress up.

The golden kunai was embedded into his mind. He knew where to get it because of his memory. But why, oh why, did Naruto have to come bounding up all of a sudden?

"Sasuke-teme!" he bellowed. "You're alive!"

Sasuke didn't even bother to turn away. He closed his eyes and prayed to Kami-sama that Naruto would go away if he just ignored him.

Of course, that never worked.

"What are you doing on your own?" continued Naruto. He fell into step with Sasuke, which was a gradual pace.

"I don't need supervision all of the time," spat Sasuke.

"I thought Kaka-sensei was going to take care of you because you just got out of the hospital!"

"Well Kakashi managed to land himself _in_ the hospital."

Naruto's eyes widened and he paused for a few moments, allowing Sasuke to get a few steps ahead of him. "How did he get into the hospital?" he exclaimed from his position.

"Go and see for yourself," Sasuke said over his shoulder. He mentally congratulated himself after hearing the sound of fading footsteps.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour of a tiring walk (which had only been ten minutes), Sasuke made it to his destination: the Hokage's office. He knocked once and didn't bother waiting for a reply.

"There's something called manners, you know!" Tsunade called absentmindedly. She didn't look up from her work. However, when she could barely hear the footsteps that came in, she did.

"Sasuke?" she said in slight surprise. Then her expression turned into anger. "Shouldn't you be in the hospital?"

"Shouldn't you?" he asked. He couldn't give ten yen if he was being rude. He had three days to live – who would?

"I don't understand," she answered. She stood up and hovered over Sasuke with an infuriated aura.

"Kakashi was just recently sent to the hospital. I think you will be needed there."

Tsunade looked surprised once again. "How did Kakashi manage to land himself in the hospital?!" she exclaimed.

Sasuke merely shrugged.

Tsunade scowled.

Sasuke stared.

Tsunade sighed. "You stay right here! Don't do _anything!_ I'm going to be back in ten minutes and if I don't find you _right here_, I'm going to send you on twenty missions without getting paid!"

She stormed out of the room, leaving Sasuke behind. Unbeknownst to her, Sasuke was smirking on the inside. "This was too easy," he said aloud as he looked beside Tsunade's desk. On the wall hung a large assortment of _golden_ weapons. He had first noticed it when he had gone to retrieve the poison book from her.

To his surprise, and luck, a golden kunai was positioned right besides a katana. It was a mystery where Tsunade had gotten all of the weapons – the Third had never possessed them. But nonetheless, he unhooked the kunai from its hooks and inspected it closer. He wanted to make sure it wasn't a fake one

And it wasn't.

If Sasuke was the kind of person to do such a thing, he would have yelled with joy. But instead, he smirked and congratulated himself on the inside as he slid out of Tsunade's orders. When you're on the edge of your deathbed, you wouldn't exactly listen to someone that's practically telling you to wait and die.

The trip back to the apartment seemed longer that the one to Tsunade's. Sasuke suspected that it was because of the disappearing daylight, but he also thought that his fatigue had something to do with it. He collapsed onto the bed when he reached it, ignoring the loosened kunai in his hand, and immediately fell asleep.

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

[1 Kakashi's experiencing the same thing that Sasuke went through. You can find an exact sentence like that in an earlier chapter when Sasuke gets taken by Orochimaru after he gets out of his coma.

[2 I know it is so OOC to make Orochimaru say that, but I just _had_ to put it in! It was bugging me the entire time I was taking my English exam!

[3 No, he didn't get raped, you perverts.


	19. Too Late ?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Had I, though, I would've used it to rule the word, possess peoples' minds, and pay for my future college.

**Author's Note:** HOLY FLYING RATS! 136 REVIEWS ALREADY! Do you guys think we can hit the 150 mark before the end of the story? There's this chapter and the next. -breaks down in tears- ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER! Please let me hit the 150 mark! This is quite possibly my favorite story! Oh! I'm back from vacation, so the next chapter should be next week as promised. Maybe I'll update on my birthday (next Saturday)! That would be cool! . . . Anyway, I'm delaying your reading. Please review! I only need 14 for this chapter and the next!

…**:::Too Late . . .?:::…**

**How many of you think Sasuke's going to die?**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Kakashi took matters into his own hands, asking Shikaku about the poison. But before he could continue his questioning, he was captured to an all too familiar voice . . . Orochimaru's. He was chained to the wall, forced to withstand the tortures he gained from Kabuto because he had found out about Sasuke's secret. Kabuto fed a pill to him that damaged his voice box, resulting in his loss of speech. With that, he was sent back to his apartment. Sasuke heard his arrival and got the shock of his life when he saw Kakashi bloodied and unconscious on the floor. It was a good thing Shikaku had been there to send Kakashi to the hospital after dropping off his mixture of the Serpens Venenum antidote. All Sasuke needed to do was go to Tsunade's office and get the gold kunai. Sleep came right after that._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

The first thing Sasuke saw when he opened his eyes was nothing.

The second thing was blurs.

No matter how many times he tried to blink away the bleariness in his sight, he still saw blurs and outlines without details. The sun was already up and shining through the blinds. His chest was pulsing slightly from the pain he had experienced yesterday night from the mark's awakening. He looked over to the digital clock Kakashi had on his night stand besides the bamboo bowl and leaned in closer to read it.

His eyes opened wide in shock. It wasn't March 29th like he had expected it to be. No, it was March 30th. He tried sitting upright quickly in shock, only to find that his movements were extremely slow-paced.

And Kakashi hadn't returned.

**XxXxXxX**

"Stay still!"

"Kakashi, if you don't stay still, we'll be forced to sedate you."

"There, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?"

Kakashi glared at the three people in front of him – Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai. All three of them were seated at the foot of his hospital bed where he was bound by strong ropes due to his constant struggling.

"What do you think he wants?" asked Gai.

_'Sasuke! I've got to help Sasuke!'_ Kakashi tried screaming. His voice was still missing. Tsunade also refused to let him out of the hospital. Some of his injuries had been vital and she didn't want to risk one of her best Jounin in Konoha.

However, Kakashi had gotten concerned when he heard Tsunade ranting about how she was going to slaughter Sasuke the next time she saw him because he had disobeyed her commands. He wondered what the Uchiha was doing at the moment.

"We'll remove your binds tomorrow afternoon," said Kurenai. "Tsunade-sama doesn't want them to injure you."

Silence.

"Naruto said that he, Sakura, and Uchiha would come along late," said Asuma.

Silence.

_'I don't think Sasuke will be coming . . .'_

It was difficult to talk to a person that couldn't answer and didn't _bother_ answering back. Asuma rubbed the back of his head nervously. No one knew what to say.

"I guess we'll be leaving you now."

Kakashi nodded slightly. He was too lost in thought. There was only one more day until the poison would take effect. He had to make it in time.

**XxXxXxX**

Sasuke was trying to kill time. He had tried playing a lonely game of cards, which lasted for all about fifteen minutes. He tried building a deck of cards, but ended up incinerating them with a lighter he had found in Kakashi's closet. Speaking of finding things, he had even searched every nook and cranny in Kakashi's house for something interesting.

He had even tried to actually _kill time_ by waving around the golden kunai in frustration.

Which only caused more frustration.

It seemed as if time was killing his sanity. He wanted the poison to be over with. He wanted to eat again, to train, to blow fire with his jutsus so that he could incinerate Naruto . . .

And then he thought about Orochimaru. He would _kill_ that bastard for the pain he put him through in the last month. He would personally track him down and slaughter him with the golden kunai!

Hours later of staring at the ceiling, he found his eyes drooping. The sun was still out, but his eyes were_ forcing_ themselves shut. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep from closing them. And then he realized that sleeping itself was a time-killer.

**XxXxXxX**

Time!

Questions swirled through Sasuke's head when he awoke again. The sun was once again up, but he was positive that he had slept through an entire day. He looked over to the clock and his answers were confirmed.

Only fifteen minutes until he would be able to use the antidote!

He sat still, not wanting to waste any energy. It was only a matter of time . . .

Meanwhile, Kakashi was waiting for his bonds to be released. He watched Tsunade and Asuma carefully untie them.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," he croaked out hoarsely.

"I see you've regained your voice," said Tsunade as she tossed the binds aside. "You're lucky. I haven't seen the Uchiha yet."

Sasuke. Sasuke was the only thing that was twisting the gadgets and gizmos inside of Kakashi's head.

"What time is it?!" he exclaimed suddenly.

"Does it matter? You won't be released until tomorrow," snapped Tsunade.

"No, no, I just need to know!" pleaded Kakashi. He sat upright and rubbed at his sore wrists.

"Fifteen minutes 'til six," replied Asuma.

Kakashi sighed heavily. He still had time. Shikaku had explained it all to him when he was in the hospital. He had explained the way the ritual was supposed to work, and what time the potion would be effective, and everything. All he needed to do was make sure his room was empty by that time.

But unfortunately, it wasn't.

Asuma had stayed the entire time, eyeing Kakashi and flipping through a discarded magazine.

"Aren't you ever going to leave?" asked Kakashi with a sigh.

"Nope."

"Don't you have anything more important to do?"

"Nope."

"Are there any other words in your vocabulary?"

"Nope." Asuma looked up from his magazine and thought it over. "Hey!"

Kakashi sighed once more. It was now or never. In one swift movement, he was on the sill of the window.

"Kakashi . . ." said Asuma slowly, getting up with his hands in front of him. He looked as if he was trying not to scare away a bird. "Don't make me chase after you."

"Too late," said Kakashi with a slight grin. He waved slightly before jumping out of the window.

"Shit!"

Asuma quickly gave chase.

**XxXxXxX**

There were only a few minutes left until Sasuke would be able to use the antidote. He thought he might as well get the ritual going.

Only to find that he couldn't even bend a finger.

"No . . ." he said in a harsh whisper. He tried moving _anything_, but his nerves wouldn't react! "No! Orochimaru, you bastard, you knew this would happen!"

Sasuke now knew that that was the reason why so many victims died to this poison. It would eat up all of your chakra and in the end, you wouldn't be able to move enough to drink the antidote.

He was going to die here, not even in _his_ bed, while the birds chirped happily and carefree in their nests, and while the squirrels scurried up the trees to greet their family . . . he hated it. He was going to die and leave everything behind – his dreams, his ambitions, his rivalry with Naruto . . . he wouldn't be able to kill Itachi to gain vengeance! He wouldn't be able to revive the Uchiha clan. It was all pointless. What he had been doing – training until he went limp – was all pointless. Because he was going to die.

"Help!" he cried as a last resort. If he could get _someone_ to help him, he might still be able to make it. "Help! Anyone!" Where the hell was Kakashi?!

It went on like that for an entire duration of twenty minutes. Sasuke kept screaming his lungs out, but he was beginning to see that no one was coming. It would take a miracle for someone to come along. His voice cracked as he gave a few last attempts at screaming for aid. This was it. He was truly going to die.

He was a shinobi. Shinobi weren't afraid of death – they lived by the 100 Shinobi Sayings. However, Sasuke felt like he was about to break #25 – his eyes were being glazed with unshed tears [1. If he could, he would have tried to rub them away, but he couldn't help it. No matter how much anyone called themselves a shinobi, they didn't want to end their lives by an idiotic poison.

"Help . . ." he whispered once more. He closed his eyes, counting down the last hours of his demise.

And yet his miracle came.

The door was slammed open and panting mixed in with many shouting. Then another man's shouts interrupted the first's and then silence came . . . for a while.

"Kakashi, I demand you tell me what the _hell_ is going on here!"

The door to Kakashi's room opened and Kakashi raced inside, still in his hospital clothes. He saw Sasuke with his eyes closed. "Dear God," he whispered, dropping to his knees besides Sasuke's bed. "Am I too late?"

"I didn't know you cared that much," whispered Sasuke hoarsely. His voice was barely audible and Kakashi had to strain to hear him.

"I know everything, Sasuke. You don't have to explain anything. I'm going to help you," said Kakashi. He saw the ingredients and the kunai lying on his table.

"Kakashi," Asuma tried again.

Kakashi began to prepare everything as he told Asuma what was happening. "Sasuke is poisoned," he began. He helped Sasuke sit into an upright position and looked into the Uchiha's eyes.

"Were you crying?" he whispered with slight amusement.

"Shut up," said Sasuke bitterly.

"Hey, it's your life, not mine."

The mood still didn't change its seriousness. Kakashi continued to explain as he grabbed the bamboo bowl.

"Hold on, Asuma. There's got to be silence for me to do this," said Kakashi.

Asuma backed away and sat down on Kakashi's desk. He watched Kakashi lift Sasuke's shirt above the Uchiha's head with slight difficulty, and he inwardly gasped. There was the mark – large, black, and ominous. And beneath the mark were ribs and nothing else. Just ribs with skin stretched over them.

"Sasuke, don't scream. It's going to hurt, but don't scream."

In a swift movement to make the pain come quick, Kakashi created a long wound along Sasuke's chest. Sasuke bit down hard on his bottom lip, drawing blood, as he watched Kakashi fill the bamboo bowl.

"You don't have to be so harsh, Kakashi!" said Asuma, mesmerized.

"That's the way it is," replied Kakashi quickly.

"Damn . . ."

Kakashi silently continued the ritual. He placed Sasuke's hands one-at-a-time in the bowl and placed them accordingly to what he had memorized – one went over his chest wound and the other went over his heart. Sasuke immediately began feeling the antidote's stinging effects on his wound.

"It's almost over, Sasuke," Kakashi assured him. "Just wait for three more minutes and then one more thing."

"I thought I'd die," said Sasuke hoarsely. "You have no idea how much this hurts."

"I might have a guess." Kakashi lifted the sleeve of his left arm further up, revealing a long wound from half-way up his lower arm to his upper arm. "I was poisoned as well."

Asuma nodded, remembering. Sasuke, however, had his eyes as wide as he could get them. "With Serpens Venenum?" he said in awe.

"No, but it was a slow-moving poison like yours was. It had side-effects, too. I think you can remember me having bandages around my arm at the beginning."

Sasuke thought back to the time when he had entered Tsunade's office for a book of poisons. He had seen the green wrappings.

Seeing Sasuke's nod of understanding, Kakashi continued. "During my mission, one of the enemy ninjas hit me with a poisonous needle. I had Tsunade-sama inspect it for me and she bandaged my arm tightly with chakra wrappings until she could get the antidote. The worst thing was the side effects. I wasn't allowed to sleep at all for four days or else the poison would move faster. I think _everyone_ in Konoha noticed the bags under my eyes." [2

Kakashi glanced over at the clock, hearing Sasuke's whisper of "Sun'na"[3. "It's time!" he exclaimed. He carefully tilted Sasuke's head back so that he would be able to take a sip of the mixture.

As the bowl touched the tip of his lips, however, quivers wracked Sasuke's body for the second time. It sent some of the antidote spilling from the bowl. Kakashi pulled it away, noticing his sharp intake of breath. "Sasuke, you have to drink it now," he warned.

He brought the bowl to Sasuke's shaking lips and managed to pour some through. Some of it dribbled down his chin, and Sasuke sputtered slightly, before coughing up more blood than he had sipped. Following the blood was a black liquid of some sort that spilled over his lips, thick and slimy.

And suddenly, abruptly, he fell limp.

The mark on his chest was visibly fading until Sasuke's chest was nothing but skin and bones. Kakashi turned to Asuma and sighed in relief.

"He's going to be just fine."

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

[1 Seem a little out of character to you? Yeah, I thought so. But hey, if you were going to die and give up everything you had to live for, wouldn't you cry? Be glad I didn't make him breakdown – they're just unshed tears.

[2 Hehe . . . you guys remember those bags? Clever, huh? (Inner Voice: Not really . . .)

[3 I think . . . no, I _know_ I spelled it wrong, but it's "No way!"

**How many of you thought Sasuke was going to die?**


	20. Come to Decide

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I don't even wish I did. I mean, who wants to become a millionare animator who has tons of adoring fans? Certainly not me . . . right?

**Author's Note:** I LOVE YOU GUYS! I only need THREE more reviews and I'll reach my dream mark! I totally can NOT begin to thank you guys ENOUGH! Thank you, thank you, **THANK YOU!** Anyway, I'm doing this seven minutes after the my friends left my house. It's my BIRTHDAY today! I had such a TIRING day and can barely stand of my feet. We played manhunt with water guns and pistols . . .

I'm ranting again, aren't I?

Why the hell am I keeping you from reading the LAST CHAPTER of the STORY?! It almost made me cry to end such a successful story! Seriously, you guys made me come this far! Thank you so much! I hope this lived up to your expectations. For the last time (in this story at least), Peace, Mahalo, and Zai Jian!

…**:::Come to Decide:::…**

**PS: Check back into my profile next week. I'll have two new stories (one's a sequel to Never the Same) ready and revving to go!**

_Previously on Naruto, dattebayo!_

_Reaching the climax of the story, Sasuke awakens to find that he has one more day left until he is able to drink the antidote. There is a switch to the hospital scene where Kakashi is being in the care of Kurenai, Gai, and Asuma. However, they have no luck with any conversation due to Kakashi's lack of speech and leave. Sasuke tries to kill time in a variety of ways, but finds out that just by sleeping, he can make the day pass easily. Another switch to the hospital and we see Kakashi talking to Tsunade. It is now officially the day that decides everything, but Kakashi has no chance of escaping without Asuma seeing. Having no other choice, he jumps out of the window and runs to his apartment, Asuma at his heels. There, he finds a motionless Sasuke and is finally able to perform the ritual. He explains how he was also poisoned as the ritual goes on. Sasuke finally drinks the antidote and Sasuke falls into a full state of unconsciousness. Kakashi notes that he is going to be just fine._

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Asuma stared at Kakashi with wide eyes. "What the _heck_ just happened there? What did you do to him?"

"I saved his life," replied Kakashi. He picked up Sasuke in both of his arms and walked out of the still-opened front door, Asuma at his feet. "Do you know the poison Serpens Venenum?"

"Do I know it?! Whoever doesn't know it has been living under a rock!"

"Yeah, thanks," said Kakashi dryly. Asuma laughed nervously, lighting another cigarette. "Anyway, Sasuke's been poisoned with it and I only found out a couple days ago. It explains the weird things that have been happening over the month."

"Oh, damn it, I _knew _I recognized that ritual from somewhere! Shikamaru told me something about him acting weird during the mission," chimed in Asuma. "Where are we going, anyway? The hospital?"

"Tsunade-sama."

When they reached the Hokage's office, she was sitting quietly over a tall stack of papers, scribbling quickly with a calligraphy pen. She looked up when she heard a knock on her door.

"Enter!" she said, returning to her paperwork.

"Tsunade-sama," came Kakashi's tired voice. She immediately looked up with a look of awe on her face, which soon turned into slight anger.

"Did he actually die in bed this time?" she asked, staring at Sasuke's attire.

"Please forgive him for his actions, Tsunade-sama," began Kakashi. Asuma raised his eyebrows. "He needs your medical assistance right now."

"If it's about his anorexia, I already told you that the only thing I can do is give him an IV drip," she said with a sigh as she stood up and walked over. Kakashi placed down Sasuke on one of the large armchairs in front of her desk.

"No, it's about the poison that was injected into him."

"Poison?!" said Tsunade with surprise. "He can't possibly be poisoned! All of the tests I gave him said that he was perfectly fine. Are you saying that I'm a liar, Kakashi?"

_'She must be overworked,'_ thought Kakashi wryly at the mood swings. That was what would get her temper up to the max.

"I did not assume that in anyway. It's a special type of poison."

"Serpens Venenum," interrupted Asuma. Kakashi had given him the air that he was beating around the bush, and that wasn't something good to do when Tsunade was in one of _those_ moods.

Tsunade's eyes opened wide. "Surely not!"

Kakashi and Asuma nodded sadly.

Tsunade moved briskly over to Sasuke and began inspecting him further. "He's too young! He won't be able to stand the poison in his blood stream!"

"It's all over," said Kakashi. "We've saved him from it. Over the past month, he's had that poison inside of him and I gave him the antidote today."

"Why didn't he tell anyone?"

"Orochimaru."

Both Asuma and Tsunade whipped around to stare at him in the eyes. _"Orochimaru?!"_ they exclaimed at the same time.

"He threatened Sasuke that if he was to tell anyone, he would kill that person."

Tsunade picked up the Uchiha carefully and began walking with him to a room inside of the building. "Leave it to Sasuke to live up to the name of an Uchiha," she said quietly. "When I get my hands on that sick bastard, I'm going to make him _pay!"_

**XxXxXxX**

"Son of a –"

"Orochimaru-sama, please –"

"I'm going to –"

Kabuto ducked from yet another item of furniture (this one happened to be a particularly large chair) that was flung in his direction. Orochimaru was on a rampage in his room, throwing whatever he could get his hands on. He was absolutely furious.

"He was supposed to die!" he screamed. "Hatake wasn't supposed to do _anything_!"

He turned to Kabuto with a deathly glint in his eye. "You were supposed to make sure he wasn't able to move to help!"

"Orochimaru-sama, I tried my best, but they have Tsunade on their side –"

"There are no excuses, Kabuto," Orochimaru said ominously. He advanced upon him.

"But Orochimaru-sama, even you said it was just a game."

"Games are vital in my life."

". . . Perhaps . . . perhaps we can play another one?"

Orochimaru paused for a second, looked at Kabuto, and then laughed maliciously. "What a delightfully excellent idea, Kabuto. Perhaps we _can_ play a game! And my next pawn will be . . .

"You . . ."

Kabuto suddenly looked frightful as a cold, slender hand slithered around his neck. The only thing he thought as he was jerked violently from the wall and onto an operating table was "Oh no, not again."

**XxXxXxX**

Word had quickly gotten around about Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura were the first to visit him during his state of unconscious. He had been put in an isolated room without windows. Ten ANBUs were stationed outside of his doorway. Even Kakashi had to be checked before he went inside with Naruto and Sakura.

"I still can't believe it," said Naruto softly as he watched Sasuke breathe. Every breath fogged up his breathing mask and his heart monitor beeped on the beat. "That's why he's been so grumpy lately." He turned to Kakashi, who had his eyes closed in thought. "But Neji couldn't even detect it with his Byakugan!"

It was Sakura who answered him sadly. "Serpens Venenum works that way. It would slowly eat up the victim's chakra, but no one would notice the damage. They'd only see a perfectly fine, blue chakra system."

"Which is why Orochimaru gave it to him. When he wakes up, we'll question him – but _not_ crazily," Kakashi added after seeing Naruto open his mouth.

Naruto closed his mouth and gave a sad smile. "Teme . . ." he mumbled.

**XxXxXxX**

It was Sakura who had first noticed Sasuke awaken. She, Naruto, and Kakashi had drifted off into slumber and both she and Naruto had their heads rested on Sasuke's bed. However, it was her that detected even the slightest of Sasuke's movement. She raised her head to determine that it wasn't just her hallucinations.

And it wasn't.

Sasuke was moaning under his breath and his arms were twitching. A few seconds of that and it changed to tossing and turning, which had both Naruto and Sakura alert. One loud moan and Kakashi's eye was open.

"Sasuke-kun!" said Sakura.

Sasuke's eyes shot open. He stared around wildly for a few seconds before feeling someone embrace him. He looked down to see a pile of pink hair.

"S-Sakura," he whispered hoarsely. "Y-you're heavy."

Sakura got up, tears glistening in her eyes, and realized that it was a repeat of their mission to the Wave Country. She apologized and turned to Naruto, who was grinning from ear-to-ear, to Kakashi, who looked indifferent.

"Teme!" said Naruto. If Sasuke had been standing up, he would have slapped him hard on the back, but he was restraining himself to sitting in his seat and looking like an –

"Usuratonkachi," said Sasuke, smirking. He turned to Kakashi. "I owe you my life."

"No you don't," Kakashi said bluntly. "I'm your sensei. It's my job to make sure you don't kill yourself."

Sasuke managed to get up weakly. Although the poison was gone, he still had his lack of any fat to deal with. His smirk widened. "Looks like I've got to eat some ramen," he joked lightly.

"Ramen!" Naruto immediately exclaimed. He pumped one fist into the air. "We'll treat you to ramen three times a day! Of course, Sakura will have to get the money, but that's okay, right Sakura-chan?!"

"Baka!" said Sakura, whacking him a good one across the head. "I don't have that kind of money!"

"Fine, fine . . . Kakashi?" Naruto looked up hopefully.

"Mo' [1, I do have plenty of money from all of the missions Tsunade-sama sent me on, but I'm saving that to buy the new copy of Icha Icha Paradise."

Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Speaking of Tsunade-sama, shouldn't we get her over here?" asked Sakura.

"I'm already here."

Sakura turned to the door to see Tsunade standing in her 'Big-Cheese' [2 pose, grinning. "And I see that our Uchiha prodigy is up and about."

"Granny Tsunade!" said Naruto. "You owe me a free ramen ticket!"

"Shut it, squirt!" she snapped. "I'm here for the Uchiha, not you. Scoot! Every one of you!"

"What, no 'Hello, Kakashi, how are you'?"

Tsunade sighed, but smiled wider. "When have I ever asked you to leave?"

"There was the time that –"

"_Kakashi!"_

"You heard her. Get out," said Kakashi. He motioned for Sakura and Naruto to leave. The reluctantly left, sending their good wishes to Sasuke. Tsunade turned to Sasuke.

"As for you," she said, "I need some answers."

"You haven't given any questions," replied Sasuke smartly.

Tsunade scowled. "Oh how I missed that Uchiha sense of humor," she said sarcastically. She glared at Kakashi, who was laughing under his breath. "Shut it, Hatake!"

"A little grumpy today, are we?" he said.

Sasuke felt his stomach growl and put one hand over it. He looked up hopefully.

"I'll only give you food if you give me answers."

"How many times must I say that you haven't given me any questions to answer?" said Sasuke with a smirk. He was enjoying this.

"Prick," Tsunade muttered beneath her breath.

"Excuse me?"

Kakashi was about to double over in laughter. He turned around, his hand clamped tightly over his mouth, and tried to calm himself down from the hilarious conversation ensuing.

"Keep laughing, Hatake, and I'm going to give you twenty missions without any pay!" she turned back to Sasuke.

"Don't believe her," continued Sasuke. "She's all talk – she said the same thing to me, except I don't see any missions."

Tsunade was boiling mad. Her face was flushed and she did her best to try and change the subject. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth, "you want a question? What happened from the beginning?"

Sasuke sighed, ran a hand through his limp hair, and began his story from start to finish. Tsunade and Kakashi had to sit down at one point after they had gotten tired of standing.

"So it was for a game?" exclaimed Tsunade. "All for one sick and twisted game? He put a thirteen-year-old beneath a poison that an average person his age couldn't have survived, just for a _game?!"_

Sasuke nodded, wanting to get anything inside of his empty stomach and quick.

"When I get him, I'm going to –"

Kakashi let Tsunade rant for all she was worth and bent down next to Sasuke. "I'm going to personally train you every afternoon for this month," he said. "I'll still train Naruto and Sakura, but you need the training more than they do. We've got to put your muscle back on."

Sasuke lifted up his shirt, remembering the mark, and sighed a long sigh of relief. It had disappeared, leaving his fatless stomach clearly visible. He nodded and tossed the blankets away from him to stand on sturdy legs for once. "It feels great to be back."

…**:::Epilogue:::…**

Kakashi had kept his word about training Sasuke. Everyday, he would meet up with the Uchiha at Training Ground 3 and the two would go one-on-one with each other. Not long after that, Sasuke had regained most of his original body back. However, his horde of fan-girls came back with it. Some things he could never escape.

His bickering with Naruto had carried on, and on missions it doubled. But both of them still knew that they were, in the weirdest of ways, best friends.

Kakashi had also kept his word about teaching Sasuke the new technique.

"One more time, Sasuke," said Kakashi. He was panting heavily, nursing a burnt arm. He would have to get Tsunade to check it over, because he was sure that it wasn't supposed to feel numb. Sasuke had burnt him with the new jutsu he was being taught. Carelessly, Kakashi hadn't thought that he would master it with such intensity in a short amount of time.

Sasuke nodded and began forming his seals once more. Taking a large gulp of breath, ignoring the stinging of his burns around his mouth, and pushing his chest out, he said, "Katon: Karyū Endan!"

A thin stream of fire emitted from his mouth, enlarging as it roared towards Kakashi. Kakashi dodged it, but he could feel the extreme heat. He had copied the jutsu from the Third Hokage, may he rest in peace, and thought that Sasuke would like the knowledge as well.

"Mo', we've done well for the day," said Kakashi tiredly, scratching the back of his head with his uninjured arm as he looked around at the changed scenery. Trees were either dead or dying from burns Sasuke had created and Kakashi had put out. "You've excelled excellently."

"Sorry about your arm," said Sasuke with a smirk. It resembled more of a grin, but Kakashi didn't say anything. "I wasn't aiming for you."

"Don't worry about it – I'm sure the numb feeling and the stinging pain is completely natural." He smiled at his own joke. "Let's go home now. We'll continue tomorrow."

"Ramen today?"

"Ramen sounds good."

"I'll give you three hundred yen that Naruto will be there," said Sasuke, smirking at the thought.

"I know I'll lose."

That bet suddenly reminded Sasuke of his own, and the entire reason he and Kakashi were walking through burnt scenery. His eyes suddenly widened slightly.

"Kakashi?" said Sasuke, looking up at his sensei.

Kakashi regarded him with a slight nod of the head, used to hearing his first name without the suffix from the young Uchiha.

"The bet . . . you shouldn't be here teaching me the Fire Dragon Flame Missile technique."

"Oh?" said Kakashi, raising his visible eyebrow.

"Yeah, don't you remember? You said that if I was carried back by any of my team members, I'd lose. And although I _did_ stand in front of you, I was carried back by Naruto, so I didn't really win the deal. You did." [3

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, still looking away from the Uchiha. He put his hands in his pockets and continued his familiar saunter. His single word was a whisper, meant to be heard by both him and Sasuke, but no one else. With a wide smile, he said,

"Oops."

_Come to decide that the things that I tried_

_Were in my life just to get high on_

_When I sit alone, come get a little known_

_But I need more than myself this time_

_Step from the road, to the sea, to the sky_

_And I do believe that we rely on_

_When I lay it on_

_Come get to play it on_

_All my life to sacrifice_

_- "Snow" – Red Hot Chili Peppers_

_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

[1 It's Kakashi's trademark: Well . . .

[2 The 'Big Cheese' pose is something I picked up from playing Wario Games on the Nintendo Wii. It's where your hands are on your hips in fists and your chest is puffed out like you're all high and mighty

[3 Whoever had suspicious about the deal in the first place, touché! This explains it all. Kakashi's an awesome sensei, ain't he?

[Random: Okay, this DOESN'T have a number next to it, but remember when Kabuto was slammed on an operating table by Orochimaru and all he could think of was "Oh no"? I'll have to admit that I got the idea from Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". The entire segment goes like this (sort of - my legs hurt too much to get the book!):

_(A whale and a pot of petunias appeared in the air and are falling rapidly towards the ground!)_

"And the only thing the pot of petunias thought before it hit the ground was _Oh no, not again._ Scientists think that if we knew why the pot of petunias had said this, we would have a better understanding of Nature than we do today."


End file.
